Salerno - A vast and complex system of fraud in public supplies and extortion against vulnerable people has been dismantled by the Carabinieri, leading to the execution of five precautionary measures and the preventive seizure of assets worth €720.000.
The management of an Extraordinary Reception Center (CAS) and other centers across the country, run by the Desy social cooperative, with registered office in Castel San Giorgio (Salerno), is under accusation.
The operation, conducted by the CarabinieriThe NAS (National Anti-Mafia Investigations Unit) in Florence, with the support of their colleagues in Salerno, has arrested one suspect, while four others have been placed under house arrest. The suspects are administrators and collaborators of the cooperative, held responsible, to varying degrees, for very serious crimes, including aggravated fraud against the state and false declarations in public documents. The raids took place in the early hours of this morning in Mercato San Severino, Roccapiemonte, and Castel San Giorgio, in the Salerno area.
The investigation began in December 2023, following an inspection of the CAS in San Marcello Piteglio (Pistoia). Here, the first reports of serious hygiene and sanitation irregularities cast a spotlight on the management of the facility, which had by then been transferred to another company.
But the investigations, cross-referencing data and, above all, collecting statements from asylum-seeking guests, revealed a chilling picture: a true state of "abandonment." The Desy cooperative allegedly certified to the Prefecture of Pistoia the provision of multiple services that, in reality, were not provided, while regularly collecting payments.
(h3)Asylum seekers in the cold and under threat
The hardship suffered by the migrants was extreme: the reception facility lacked heating and hot water, and in some cases even no electricity.
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Faced with protests from residents demanding the services they were legally entitled to and funded with public funds, extortion was triggered. Desy employees and collaborators are accused of threatening asylum seekers to force them to sign so-called "attendance sheets," crucial documents that were supposed to certify the proper provision of services. This act, in effect, covered up the fraud and legitimized subsequent demands for payment from the state.
The accounting analysis and subsequent investigations revealed that the fraud scheme was not limited to the province of Pistoia. The Desy cooperative was found to have operated, or still be active, in other CASs across the country, with proven interests in the provinces of Salerno, Avellino, Pavia, and Arezzo.
A comprehensive analysis of the invoices submitted to the various Prefectures allowed the extent of the perceived illicit activity to be quantified: between 2022 and 2024, the Desy cooperative allegedly pocketed over €1,2 million for services that were only partially or totally non-existent.
Today's seizure of €720.000 represents an important first step toward recovering funds illicitly embezzled from public coffers and earmarked for welfare. The investigation continues to uncover all responsibilities and the extent of the alleged fraud.
Comments (1)
The article describes a very serious and worrying situation in the asylum reception sector. It's incredible that such serious abuses have occurred. I hope the authorities will clarify matters and justice will be served.