Money and jewelry used to rig sentences: "Money gives sight to the blind."

When the sentence reaches the investigators' ears, it's accompanied by laughter. A light, almost conspiratorial laugh. "Money gives sight to the blind." It's December 2024, and that quip, captured in a wiretapped conversation, becomes the key to understanding an investigation that tears the veil off years of justice bent, according to the Rome Prosecutor's Office, on a system of favors, gifts, and bribes.

Investigators believe these are not isolated incidents but rather a stable, well-established mechanism, capable of transforming the Justice of the Peace of Santa Maria Capua Vetere into a sort of judicial ATM for insurance claims, many of which are related to accidents that never occurred.

The opening scene: a five thousand euro envelope

On November 19, 2024, lawyer Giuseppe Luongo entered the home of Justice of the Peace Bruno Dursio in Naples. The cameras were on. So were the bugs.

"I came to get this worry out of my mind," Luongo says. He holds an envelope containing 5.000 euros.

Inside are 80-85 50- and 100-euro bills, wrapped in sealed A4 sheets. Along with the money are photocopies of the case files. The rustling of the bills is clearly recorded. Dursio opens the envelope, counts it, then pockets it all. The cover pages of the proceedings also end up with the money.

For investigators, it is one of the clearest images of an unwritten pact: money in exchange for sentences.

Christmas, gifts and confidences

A little over a month later, on December 18th, the tone of conversations changes. It's time for assessments and gifts.

Luongo says he delivered Dursio a veritable "truckload of stuff": "A basket, a bottle, three struffoli, two cornucopias worth seventy euros each: five hundred and fifty euros."

The judge tries to defend himself: "But aren't you exaggerating a bit?"

The answer is immediate: "Don't worry."

Then comes the sentence that for the investigating judge sums up the entire investigation: "Money gives sight to the blind."

This isn't just a joke. According to the prosecution, it's an awareness of a system in which money serves to guide decisions, turn a blind eye to anomalies, and transform fragile practices into favorable rulings.

The Catalogue of Corruption

The papers reveal a list that reads like a luxury inventory: Dom Pérignon champagne with five thousand euros hidden in the case, Cartier bracelets and necklaces worth three thousand euros, Gucci bags worth four thousand euros, “used” Rolex watches, trips, shopping vouchers, sweets, and ceramic cornucopias.

The money, according to the documents, traveled in every possible way: delivered during hearings, hidden in the trunks of cars, stuffed into trolley cases filled with watches.

The price of the judgments would have been fixed: a percentage between 10 and 20 percent of the compensation awarded, or gifts of equivalent value.

Accidents that all look alike

Behind the compensation, however, lies a detail that draws investigators' attention: the accidents are different only on paper. In reality, they all look the same.

Pedestrians hit at crosswalks, cyclists struck—sometimes on tandem bicycles—law enforcement never arriving, witnesses with names identical or nearly identical to their real names. The dynamics repeat themselves, as do the reports.

According to the Prosecutor's Office, nothing is accidental: trained witnesses, manipulated medical reports, and "friendly" technical consultancy. The lawyers handle the entire process, maintaining contact with doctors, consultants, and insurance company representatives.

The director: Giuseppe Luongo

At the center of the network is Giuseppe Luongo, currently under house arrest. For at least ten years, investigators claim, his cases before the Justice of the Peace of Santa Maria Capua Vetere almost always ended the same way: with a favorable verdict.

His relationship with Judge Rodosindo Martone is defined as "historic" and consolidated also through apparently legal transactions, such as the sale of a BMW and a Smart at prices considered however to be above market prices.

For the investigating judge, this is one of the pieces of evidence that strengthens the corruption pact hypothesis.

The university trend

The investigation doesn't stop at the Justice of the Peace. Another chapter involves a university competitive exam. According to the prosecution, Martone and his partner Elvira Merola allegedly obtained advance submissions from doctors Giuseppe and Michele D'Amico for an entrance exam to the specialization school in Pharmacology.

The trade-off? The systematic assignment of technical consultant assignments.

The measures and the seizure

Following the searches last May, Rome investigating judge Angela Gerardi ordered a series of precautionary measures: suspension from office for three justices of the peace, suspension from practicing law for three lawyers, and house arrest for Luongo.

Following the searches conducted last May, Rome Court Judge Angela Gerardi issued a series of precautionary measures, which were notified in the last few hours.

The following justices of the peace have been suspended from public office for one year :

• Rodosindo Martone

• Bruno Dursio

• Maria Gaetana Fulgeri

For the same period, a ban on practicing law was imposed on lawyers:

• Michele Zagaria

• Vincenzo Castaldo

• Michael Chirico

Lawyer Giuseppe Luongo , considered by investigators to be the main organizer of the system, was placed under house arrest .

Also under investigation, with related seizure of equivalent assets , are:

• Elvira Merola , Judge Martone's companion

• Giuseppe D'Amico , doctor

• Michele D'Amico , university professor of Pharmacology at Vanvitelli and president of the competition commission

A precautionary seizure of over 300 euros, believed to be the profit from the rigged sentences, was also triggered.

All the suspects deny the charges. But for the Prosecutor's Office, wiretaps and money flows tell a different story: that of a justice system that turned a blind eye for years. Until someone, with a laugh, explained why: because money, sometimes, restores sight even to the blind.