Giugliano - Former mayor of Giugliano, Antonio Poziello, is going on trial, along with former councilors, city councilors, managers, and businessmen implicated in the investigation that exposed alleged connections between politics, the Camorra, and business in the municipality north of Naples.
The Second Section, Panel E, of the Naples Court has ordered the committal for trial of most of the defendants, rejecting the requests for dismissal made by the defense.
The proceedings are now in full swing: a total of 43 people are called to answer to the charges, between the ordinary and abbreviated proceedings.
For those sent to trial under the ordinary procedure, the first hearing is set for April 22, the opening date of the trial.
The defendants
The former mayor Antonio Poziello, the former councilor Giulio Di Napoli, the former city councilors Pasquale Casoria and Paolo Liccardo will be tried with the ordinary procedure, together with – among others – Filippo Frippa, former municipal manager, and numerous entrepreneurs and officials.
The judge ordered the dismissal of former councilor Andrea Guarino's case, while dismissing the case of Michele Olimpio and Francesco Vitiello.
For defendants who have chosen the abbreviated procedure, the hearings are scheduled for February 13th and March 4th.
On those dates, the lawyers representing individuals believed to be close to the Mallardo clan will be the main representatives. Meanwhile, the Municipality of Giugliano has filed a civil suit, claiming it has been damaged by an alleged corruption scheme that has profoundly impacted its administration.
The alleged system
The investigation, coordinated by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate, began in 2015 and continued until 2020, the year of the no-confidence vote in the Poziello administration and the subsequent appointment of a commissioner. According to the prosecution, during those years, a structured corruption scheme was established, based on rigged tenders, bribes, building permits, and job promises to companies linked to the Mallardo clan.
For every public tender and every building permit, investigators allege, a bribe was allegedly paid. This mechanism was considered stable and functional both to financing local politics and to strengthening the clan's coffers. A key figure in the so-called "gray area" was Andrea Abbate, known as Uncle Andrea, identified as a mediator between the political world and the Mallardo clan's leadership, then represented by Domenico Pirozzi, aka Mimì 'o pesante.
The investigations also uncovered how the Camorra allegedly exercised control over major public works through institutional cover-ups, allocating part of the racket's proceeds to support the families of prisoners and reinvesting large sums through a network of front men.
Now it will be up to the court to determine responsibilities and roles in a matter that has profoundly affected Giugliano's administrative history.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
The situation in Giugliano is very complex and difficult to understand. Many people are involved, and the investigations appear to be yielding significant results. It's important to closely monitor the developments of this trial to understand what will happen.