The procedure has been started to transfer to another office the captain of the Carabinieri who, in the Modena area, was allegedly responsible for an act of bullying against a young 21-year-old Carabinieri woman. The officer, at the end of the service, would have written on her forehead with a ballpoint pen: «See. Captain”. An affair that had provoked a harsh reaction from the various trade unions of the force. After the start of the internal investigation, another signal came from the general command, with the transfer of the captain from Modena to Teramo. Even though the officer is currently still on sick leave.
Even in this circumstance the reaction of the Carabinieri unions was immediate and harsh. «It is with profound indignation that UNARMA learns of the transfer of the Carabinieri captain, responsible for an act of violence and denigration perpetrated against a colleague – states the general secretary Antonio Nicolosi -. We cannot remain silent in the face of the “incomprehensible” decision to reward the person who committed this act, transferring him to take on new command responsibilities of the Teramo carabinieri company. This decision, in addition to being morally questionable, sends a distorted message that undermines trust in the institution and its commitment to the protection of all its members. UNARMA calls for immediate and decisive measures to be taken to condemn this behavior and ensure that similar incidents never take place within the police force again. The dignity and integrity of the Carabinieri cannot be compromised by irresponsible and discriminatory behaviour.”
However, the outcome of the military justice investigation is awaited on the matter, which could establish other types of sanctions against the officer. However, no confirmation has been received from the Modena Prosecutor’s Office on a possible case autonomous investigation by the ordinary judiciary. It is certain, however, that no complaint was filed by the offended party. This does not exclude the judiciary from proceeding ex officio.
The alleged act of bullying dates back to May 14th. It was a photo taken with a cell phone by a young colleague from the Carabinieri that documented the event and triggered the chain of command reaction. The image was in fact placed in the internal chat between the soldiers serving in the company and then the senior director of the Carabinieri informed the Modena provincial command which promptly “invited” the captain to hand over your gun and badge and call in sick.
For his part, the officer categorically denies that his was a gesture to humiliate or, even less, bully his young colleague. «In the appropriate places – explained his lawyer Luca Camaggi – there will be a way to offer a truthful reconstruction of the episode, which certainly cannot be traced back to ridiculing or offensive gestures of the commander’s colleague”.
