The Milan prosecutor’s office has requested the trial of Daniela Santanchè in relation to the alleged fraud against the INPS on the Covid funds pocketed by the Visibilia group, of which she was president until January 2022. The news, widely awaited, was released in early afternoon yesterday with a note signed by the Milan prosecutor Marcello Viola, and, from there, the usual ballet of declarations began, with the opposition who, in chorus, asked for the resignation of the Minister of Tourism and the majority wriggling in his defense, between professions of guaranteeism and declarations of absolute serenity and trust in the course of justice. The preliminary hearing will most likely be held after the European elections and, according to what transpires from the Milan court, it is not excluded that it could even begin after the summer break. The case, however, has now exploded and the troubles for Santanchè seem destined not to end here: the recent closure of the investigations into the other line of inquiry into the Visibibilia group – the one into the rigged financial statements – will lead to a probable second request for indictment . In addition to the minister, the investigating judge of Milan will also have to evaluate the position of her partner Dimitri Kunz and the manager Paolo Giuseppe Concordia, for whom the deputy prosecutor Laura Pedio and the prosecutors Maria Giuseppina Gravina and Luigi Luzi have also requested the trial.
HISTORY, known for several months now, concerns the disbursement of 126 thousand euros for thousands of hours of social safety nets not due in favor of companies attributable to Visibilia. The situation was reported by the group’s Investor Relations manager, Federica Bottiglione, who, reading the pay slips, had learned that she had been placed on redundancy pay (with zero hours) without her knowledge. This despite the fact that she continued to work regularly throughout the pandemic. Like her, there are also twelve other employees. In the file with which the prosecutor’s office requests the trial for Santanchè and the others, there are also chats between Kunz and Bottiglione, with the former trying everything to try to dissuade the employee from reporting the crime: «Federica, this way you’ll get into trouble everyone”, wrote the minister’s companion. And the trouble actually came with the accusation of having taken these decisions (together with Santanchè and Concordia) “to achieve an unfair profit”.
“WE EXPECT that the Prime Minister has a minimum of respect for the institutions and asks for the resignation of Daniela Santanchè”, writes the secretary of the Democratic Party Elly Schlein on government, throws it into irony: «It’s a shame that the European lists are now closed. Meloni will no longer have time to have her resign and to nominate her for the European elections in the company of Sgarbi.” The government, for its part, is closing in on itself. Tajani: «The opposition asks you to resign every two minutes. There is a request, when there is a decision we will talk about it. It does not cause any embarrassment to the government. It’s a question of personal sensitivity, Santanchè will decide. I am a guarantee, as I did with Decaro I don’t go to get angry with people.” And the rest of the right rallies, not so much around the minister, but in defense of the executive, which on the eve of the European vote sees the first real judicial mine in its history explode. Santanchè’s spokesperson, Salvatore Tramontano, in the extreme difficulty of the moment, tried to relaunch with fake news, accusing Schlein of having spoken of indictment and not of a request for indictment. It wasn’t true, but it was enough to throw her into a fight: «Schlein asks for respect for the institutions when she is the first to remain silent and not express solidarity in the face of the sexist insults aimed at President Meloni. It’s clear that she really doesn’t know what to do to gain consensus that she doesn’t have.” For the Northern League candidate Roberto Vannacci, however, the Santanchè case should not be discussed at all: “They are personal matters”, he told Adnkronos after defining himself, too, as “a guaranteeist”.
