Santa Maria Capua Vetere – An election stand in a bar in Castel Volturno, with holy cards and 50- and 70-euro bills exchanged hands in exchange for votes. And not only that: promises of jobs, gifts such as an undocumented pig, and contracts in the waste sector.
This is the scenario that emerged from the investigation by the Santa Maria Capua Vetere Public Prosecutor's Office, coordinated by Prosecutor Pierpaolo Bruni and Deputy Prosecutor Giacomo Urbano and Anna Ida Capone, which led to the notification of the conclusion of the investigation to nine people for political-mafia vote-trading during the June 2024 municipal elections in Castel Volturno.
Among those under investigation are prominent figures from the local center-right: Forza Italia regional councilor Giovanni Zannini, already at the center of another investigation for corruption, extortion, and fraud (for which the same prosecutor's office requested his arrest just three days ago); Castel Volturno mayor Pasquale Marrandino, elected in those elections and already under investigation for corruption in another strand; and San Cipriano d'Aversa mayor Vincenzo Caterino, president of the provincial waste management company Gisec.
The investigation, conducted by the Carabinieri, reconstructed a key incident that occurred on June 16, 2024, shortly before the runoff election won by Marrandino. The three allegedly met in a hotel in Mondragone—Zannini's hometown—with entrepreneur Luca Pagano.
In exchange for his electoral support, they allegedly promised him a waste management contract from the Municipality of Mondragone or from companies linked to Zannini's party, the rental of a 5-square-meter yard in Falciano del Massico for garbage trucks, and a political position for his daughter Rosa, a candidate on the "Castel Volturno Città" list.
Pagano reportedly refused the job for his daughter, but Caterino's presence—as president of GISEC—would have guaranteed the credibility of his promises. Another strand of the investigation focuses on a "banquet" at a bar in Castel Volturno, managed by the suspect Michele Cantone.
The "banquet" with money exchange in a bar in Castel Volturno
Here, according to investigators, the direct sale took place: money from Marrandino and Deputy Mayor Giulio Natale (also under investigation), financed by entrepreneurs, distributed to voters along with facsimiles of the ballots. Among the beneficiaries was Attilio Morrone, who allegedly received an uncertified pig from Marrandino and the promise of a job.
Not everyone, however, accepted: the Carabinieri are recording cases of refusal. Also under investigation are bar owner Michele Antolini and other voters who pocketed the money, intended to support Marrandino, Natale, and similar candidates.
The investigation casts a new shadow on Zannini, already under pressure from the other legal proceedings, and raises questions about the electoral system in the Caserta area, where connections between politics, business, and waste management appear to be recurring. So far, none of the suspects have spoken out, but the closure of the investigation opens the door to possible indictments.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
It's strange how these situations repeat themselves in politics. Elections should be a moment of democracy, not of buying and selling. I hope the investigation will shed light on these serious matters and that those responsible will be punished.