After Milan and Turin, the Democratic Party risks sinking also in the Marche. The former mayor of Pesaro Matteo Riccinow candidate for the presidency of the Region, is investigated for corruption together with a dozen officials of the Municipality who has administered, as well as two general directors of bodies participated in 100 percent (Fondazione Pescheria Centro Arti Visive and Aspes Spa). In all, the suspects of the investigation are 24 and contested crimes are corruption, undue induction, the false in public act and in a complaint, the illicit achievement of public subsidies, auction disturbance, embezzlement.
The main accusation is, to be precise, of corruption for acts contrary to the duties of office of public officials in charge of public service. The prosecutor’s investigation started investigating some alleged irregularities relating to direct custody (hence the nickname of custody for the investigation) by the Municipality for a total of about 600 thousand euros in favor of a couple of non -profit cultural associations, the main work and the polar star. All at the time when Curls He was the first citizen.
The crimes would have been committed between July 20, 2020, the date of establishment of the Opera Maestra Association, and June 2024 when investigations actually started. The first suspects were the president of the associations, Stefano Espostoconsidered the main corruption, the former head of cabinet of Curls Franco Arci, Massimiliano Santinialso a former member of the staff of the former first citizen, the managers Eros Giraldi And Loris Pascucci (which were initially investigated only for false).
So the last sensational judicial shock to the dem comes from Pesaro where the prosecutor Marco Mescolinialready accused in Reggio Emilia by a couple of his collaborators of having protected the local junta, he would be denying his fame as Piddino ad honorem. Already the Tar had given him right and for this reason, after a brief exile in Florence, he had been promoted to Pesaro.
Yesterday he saw, as soon as he returned from the holidays, the invitation to make interrogation to all the suspects, completed by the prosecutor Maria Letizia Fuccthe. The most striking name on the list is that of Curlscandidate for the presidency of the Region in the elections of 25-26 September (the polls would give him ahead of 5 points on the outgoing president Francesco Acquaroliof Fdi). Close to the voting for the sample of the left this could be a blow from the ko. Other than favoritism to the PD. The accelerate to the investigation may have been given by the investigating magistrate who seems not to agree to grant another extension of the investigations and then the prosecutor’s office closed the investigations and instead of asking for the archives, he prepared the invitation to appear, a detailed act preparatory to the notice of closing the investigations and the request for indictment. The weekday suspension of the procedural terms (from 1 to 31 August) will slide the hot phase in September.
In the first decrees of the search there were the names of the first five investigations plus an omissis that according to many hid the name also of Curls. Already in the first search decrees referred to “political decision makers”. AND Santini It was indicated as a “collaborator in charge of the coordination of social communication and initiatives and events at the mayor’s Cabinet Office”, as well as “de facto administrator of the non -profit bodies opera Maestra and Polar Stella”. Now the accusations are much more circumstantial. The document delivered to Curls And to the other suspects it is 26 pages. The corrupt agreement indicated at the beginning document would have been taken by Curls, Santini and from Exposed.
In particular, the former mayor is accused of having inserted, assuming him, in the municipal machine, Santiniand to have requested “sponsorships in favor of the Municipality of Pesaro for the organization of public events then actually given directly to the Opera Maestra Association, proposing the adoption of measures in the council containing the direct assignment of the works to the Opera Maestra Association”. The three would have agreed “for the direct fulfillment by Curls and of Santini of acts contrary to the duties of their offices and qualities described above aimed at obtaining custody/contributions in relation to works and events of the Municipality of Pesaro in favor of the associations Opera Maestra and Stella Polari and Terzi (Cultural Association of Muro, Sabattini Costruzioni Srl, Nasoni Costruzioni Srl), allowing an illegitimate profit to the aforementioned associations of theExposed». But the main suspects would have also agreed “to determine the fulfillment of acts contrary to the duties of their office by the officials of the Municipality of Pesaro in charge of the various sectors of competence in relation to the assignments/contributions relating to works and events of the Municipality of Pesaro in favor of the opera maestra and Polar star associations”.
For prosecutors, in this way, Curls «Allowed to Santini and Exposed to receive money and other utllltà Patrlmonlali “, while” directly obtained a non -patloniaria, through the realization, with illegitimate modalities, of works and public events of the Municipality of Pesaro of great appeal capable of conferring an image of efficiency and effectiveness of the administrative and political action of the mayor, thus causing the same a significant benefit in terms of increased popularity and consent “.
SantiniAccording to the prosecutors, he would have interfered “replacing the mayor’s awareness” to municipal officials, in the management of public money. Which, with method, would end up in the wrong pockets. Its. The prosecutor’s documentation describes it as an informal substitute for political power, a serial climber of managers. He had no formal powers. But it counted. His assignment, “trustee” and “fixed -term” would have allowed him to be behind any cultural initiative and every event. According to the accusations, it would have received over 106,000 euros illegally: 45,000 euros in two tranches (22,500 each) formally for the use of the “Palio dei Bracieri” brand, with a “ex post” contract. Then there are 57,172 euros for personal expenses paid by the Opera Maestra Association: stays in the hotel with family and guests, furniture, ski equipment, a cell phone and even the fees of a surveyor and a geologist for the works in the Sa real estate unit. And finally, 4,752 euros spent with credit card of the usual association, also used abroad. Santini would also have been the interface with the companies, from Tomasucci Spa, to Rivacolde. He would have asked for money on behalf of the municipality, but then he would make them convey them directly to the work of Maestra. At the expiry of the assignment, the last blow: he would appropriate the laptop that the Municipality had provided him to perform his assignment. He should have returned him, but said he had “lost”. From the investigation, the computer was, however, has connected to the antivirus service of the Municipality on a later date. The WiFi line used? «The one installed the home of Santini». Among the first assignments put in the sights by the Prosecutor’s Office, there had been the determination relating to hydraulic works (for which the associations had no specific competence), whose funds were then used for the creation of a mural dedicated to Liliana segrepaid 20,000 euros and actually made in a school complex.
From the cards it is learned that in June 2022 Curls and his deputy Daniele Vimini (not investigated), in search of sponsors, had sent an email to the attention of the president of Riviera Banca Fausto Caldari and the communication manager Andrea De Crescentinthe. The former mayor asked for money for some events of public interest: “Dear President, we allow ourselves to request a total economic sharing of not less than 40,000 euros”. But the IBAN on which to pay a part of that money, to be precise 10,000 euros, was not that of the Municipality, but of a master work. The search decrees were already indicated the determines of expenditure ended up at the center of the investigations. Some of these concerned events such as the Palio dei Bracieri and the Pizza Rossini, initiatives for the Christmas holidays, a mural for the fallen of Covid, the first Festival of the sea, redevelopment of green areas (but the associations did not have this type of corporate object), activities in favor of young people, maintenance of existing murals in the port area, set -ups for Pesaro capital of culture 2024, supply of 14 totems Three -dimensional polystyrene for Pesaro 2024. A determination also concerned “the extraordinary maintenance of municipal buildings”. Always entrusted to associations that deal with cultural events and have no employees. One of the sponsorship under observation had been requested to finance the inauguration event of the giant copy of the helmet of Valentino Rossi A few steps from the Lungomare di Pesaro. The mayor for his part took some hours before communicating on the social networks of the warranty notice that had been delivered to him. In the video download any faults on the collaborators and does not hide the anger. “I have to give you a communication” is the incipit. “Surprisingly this morning I received a warranty notice.” And he kicks off the discharge: «I am surprised because in my life, in 15 years of administration, I have never dealt with public custody, of work. I have always trusted my managers, my collaborators. As I did in this case ». He declares that he wants to see the prosecutor as soon as possible, but first he sends him a pizzino: “The accusation is quite curious because I am told that I would not have obtained any patrimonial usefulness, of course, but that I would have obtained a usefulness in terms of political consent, that is, these murals, these parties would have increased my political consent”. The candidate Governor disputes the assumption that he knew the associations under investigation: “I never had to do directly”. As it is obvious Curls He professes himself “serene on the merits” and “completely foreign to the facts”, of which he would not have “never dealt”, but also “very embittered” and “very angry”. The reason? “Because this comes the day after the convocation of the (elections, after a year of investigations.” But, like the mayor of Milan Roomhe too has clean hands: “When a mayor governs he has many collaborators, if possibly a collaborator is wrong, the mayor is an injured party because the trust he gave to this collaborator is betrayed”. In short, in him “there is a lot of serenity”. Even if it would not be said from the video.
