THE COURT IN CATANZARO ISSUED A PREVENTIVE SEIZURE ORDER OF 4 MILLION EUROS FROM A REAL-ESTATE AGENT

On 30.03.2023, the staff of DIA’s Field Office in Catanzaro, coordinated by the Antimafia  District Prosecutor’s Office, carried out a seizure order, issued by the Court in Catanzaro – Second Criminal Section. The order is aimed at implementing a confiscation, envisaged by the Antimafia Code,  concerning the assets valued over 4 million euros, linked to a real-estate agent, who was arrested in January 2021 in the framework of the well-known operation PROFILO BASSO. Allegedly, he is suspected of masterminding an organization, made up of “shell companies” , which were headed by frontmen, aimed at issuing false invoices for non-existent operations – and his relatives.

The preventive seizure concerned:

• 4 corporate assets, comprising:

– the company GRT Srls  managing the well-known pub of the Catanzaro nightlife, the restaurant “MOPS”, owning no. 2 luxury vehicles;

– the company “G-IMMOBILIARE SRLS”;

– the company ”NON SOLO PERMUTE  SERVIZI IMMOBILIARI” and no. 1 immovable property;

–  the company “GISASTE srl” having corporate assets comprising two luxury vehicles, a Range Rover Velar and a Porsche, as well as a city car;

• shares, also 100 % interest shares, of no. 3 companies operating in the catering business and in the real estate brokerage;
• 31 buildings;
• 3 plots of land;
• 3 vehicles;
• 2 motor vehicles;
• all banking relationships, insurance policies, savings accounts, interest-bearing postal bonds registered and/or linked to the affected person or his relatives.

This preventive order, implemented ex art. 20 Leg.ve decree no. 159/2011, by the Court in Catanzaro in the framework of a preventive proceeding initiated with the proposal of a personal preventive measure and an asset-related confiscation order, is signed both by the Head Prosecutor of Catanzaro, dott. Nicola Gratteri, and the DIA Director, dott. Maurizio Vallone.

The proposal is based on a complex economic and asset-related investigation, carried out with the support of sophisticated software tools, by DIA experts from the Field Office in Catanzaro, aimed at identifying the huge assets of the affected person and the disproportion among the declared income and his working activity.

The investigation resorted also to the results of a previous investigation linked to the criminal proceeding p.p. 4499/2016, dubbed “PROFILO BASSO”, currently pending before the ordinary Court and involving, among others, the above-mentioned person targeted by a preventive seizure order, who is also accused  of the offence envisaged in art. 416 bis c.p.

The investigations concerned asset- related and commercial-related events of the affected person who is indicated as  bearing a “qualified dangerousness”, due to evidences contained in the proposal.

Allegedly, since 2005, the person has been an affiliate of the TRAPASSO cosca, recognized  in a final judgement as a ‘ndrina within the locale from San Leonardo di Cutro. Allegedly, he contributed to the cosca with his entrepreneurial skills, that is mainly managing the economic affairs of the group. The elements supporting the above-mentioned measure give a clear account of the relationship with the above-mentioned family in the sector of usury and of the investment of illegal proceeds. The elements gathered so far support the allegation that the affected person headed an organization aimed at issuing false invoices for non-existent operations, thus partly underpinning the cosche in Catanzaro and in San Leonardo di Cutro.

Please note that the order carried out today is temporary only, and will be followed by a preventive proceeding, where the parties might explain their reasons in a hearing.

Catanzaro, 30 March 2023

The Prosecutor

Dott. Nicola Gratteri