Avellino
by Paola Iandolo
“The only adequate measure is the self-custodial one in place (house arrest) necessarily accompanied by a ban on communication with strangers due to the need to prevent evidential pollution”. These are the conclusions of the judges of the VIII section of the Review Court for the former mayor Gianluca Festa, who remained under house arrest and subjected since 18 April when the soldiers of the provincial command of Avellino together with the judicial police of the Avellino prosecutor’s office notified three precautionary measure orders for Festa, for the former municipal manager Filomena Smiraglia (now subjected to the measure of disqualification from holding public offices for a year) and for the architect Fabio Guerriero (now free, measure annulled), as well as executing two decrees of search and seizure of cell phones for the candidate for mayor of Avellino, Laura Nargi, investigated for criminal association and the municipal manager investigated for disturbing the freedom of auctions, Gianluigi Marotta. For the judges it is concrete risk of relapse: in fact the judging panel highlighted that “Festa is called to answer for numerous and serious crimes committed in a short period of time and that the conduct was effectively interrupted by the investigative intervention”.
The rejection
Therefore the review judges rejected the appeal presented by Festa’s lawyers Luigi Petrillo and Concetta Mari. The videos and audios deposited by the public prosecutor Vincenzo Toscano who asked for confirmation of the precautionary measure for the former mayor were decisive for the decision issued by the judges of the court of Naples.
The prominent role of Festa
The investigations have demonstrated the absolutely pre-eminent role played by Party result the protagonist of all the events investigated, including those for which he was not called to account, such as the illicit intervention in favor of the candidate in the competition for MC technical officer, employee of the studio of the architect under investigation Fabio Guerriero and sister of a Frigento municipal councilor.
