ORGANISED CRIME AND PUBLIC PROCUREMENTS. THE DIA IN MILAN ARRESTED 2 ENTREPRENEURS, WHO ARE BELIEVED TO BE CLOSE TO A CLAN OF COSA NOSTRA. EUR 5 MILLION WORTH OF SEIZURES

Today, the DIA Field Office in Milan carried out a pre-trial arrest order, issued by the judge for preliminary investigations (G.I.P.) at the court in Milan, upon the request of the Anti-Mafia District Directorate in Milan, against 2 persons. Based on the investigative preliminary results they have allegedly made business with Cosa Nostra, precisely with the mafia-type OCG of the “Barcellonesi”, operating on the Tyrrhenian coast in the province of Messina, by setting up companies mainly active in the construction sector. All the companies had their headquarters in Milan.

In detail, the persons subject to the order had already been involved in the past in asset-related measures and are responsible, in association with other entities, for fraudulent conducts aimed at the fictitious registration of several companies which had been awarded public procurements throughout Italy. Some of such procurements were of high amount and/or had been funded by the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) without incurring the bans issued by the Prefects.

Once the procurements had been obtained, often as temporary joint venture, the companies linked to the suspects, used to entrust the actual construction works to other companies, including those with headquarters in Calabria.

The complex investigations carried out also with the support of wiretapping, surveillance and shadowing activities were managed by the Anti-Mafia District Directorate at the court in Milan and coordinated by the 2^nd Branch of the Anti-Mafia Investigation Directorate.

Based on targeted economic and asset-related checks carried out in cooperation with the Organized Crime Investigation Group (G.I.C.O.) of the Economic and Financial Unit of the Guardia di Finanza in Milan, the above-mentioned judicial authority ordered as a matter of urgency the preventive seizure of corporate assets, real estate and current accounts with an estimated value of 5 million euros.

The measures taken and the several searches carried out affected many regions and were conducted by G.I.C.O of the Guardia di Finanza in Milan as well as by the personnel of the DIA Field Offices in Rome, Catania, Messina, Florence, Naples and Catanzaro.

It is important to highlight that the precautionary measures were carried out within preliminary investigations and are based on indictments, which must be proved during the hearing and the following stages of the proceedings. The criminal liability of the suspects shall be established only at the outcome of the trial by irrevocable criminal judgment, the presumption of innocence under Article 27 of the Constitution being in force.

                                                                                  THE PUBLIC PROSECUTOR

                                                                                               Marcello Viola