Municipality of Foggia dissolved for mafia, 'disturbing picture'

The investigations carried out have highlighted the presence "of concrete, univocal and relevant elements on links between local administrators and organized crime", which is why the Municipality of Foggia must be dissolved for mafia infiltration. On the basis of these assessments of the access commission sent by the Interior Ministry in the capital of Dauno on March 9, the Council of Ministers tonight dissolved the Municipality of Foggia and entrusted the management of the body to an extraordinary commission. The commission, according to the proposal put forward by Minister Lamorgese to the CDM, will be composed of the retired prefect Marilisa Magno, the deputy prefect Rachele Grandolfo and the executive Sebastiano Giangrande. The body had already been dissolved, in the ordinary way by the prefect, after the resignation given by theformer mayor Franco Landella last May 4th and not revoked within 20 days of their presentation, also because on May 21st the former Lega Nord first citizen was arrested and placed under house arrest on charges of attempted extortion, corruption and released after ten days. Landella is now free but banned from public office for one year. Landella's wife, Daniela Di Donna, a municipal employee, banned from public office for ten months, is also involved in the investigation, which she believes has revealed a round of bribes to the Municipality of Foggia. Since 25 May the Municipality has been administered by the prefectural commissioner Marilisa Magno, but the Viminale access commission was already at work in the institution to ascertain alleged mafia infiltrations in the administrative activity of the Palazzo di Città.On July 29 the commission delivered a very harsh report to the prefect of Foggia, Carmine Esposito, a report that the prefect sent to the Ministry of the Interior and on which the decision to immediately dissolve the municipality is based. The six-page report highlights that since 2014 intimidating acts against some municipal councilors had been reported and that there was a worrying criminal pressure on the Municipality. Since February 2021 - we read - the judicial investigations linked to corruption hypotheses have involved public administrators, including the former mayor Landella and the former president of the municipal council Leonardo Iaccarino. "From the investigations resulting from the corruptive facts - we read - a disturbing picture of the administrative reality of the Entity emerges,which attests a diversion of the public munus in favor of the interests of organized crime ". Among the alleged episodes there are also frequentations, kinship and emotional ties by the municipal councilors with local representatives of organized crime. At the center of the alleged pressures and mafia infiltrations are also related contracts to the video surveillance system, the assignment of public houses to clan affiliates and the absence of anti-mafia certificates for some companies that have managed public services.At the center of the alleged pressures and mafia infiltrations also contracts linked to the video surveillance system, the assignment of public houses to clan affiliates and the absence of anti-mafia certificates for some companies that have managed public services.At the center of the alleged pressures and mafia infiltrations also contracts linked to the video surveillance system, the assignment of public houses to clan affiliates and the absence of anti-mafia certificates for some companies that have managed public services.