The municipal councilor Alessandro Russo, of the Democratic Party, formally questioned the Mayor of Messina, Dr. Federico Basile, and the Heritage Councilor, Dr. Roberto Cicala, regarding the purchase and the status of the adaptation works of the former buildings Bank of Rome and former Cassa di Risparmio Vittorio Emanuele. These properties, purchased with the aim of hosting the new Palace of Justice, are at the center of a series of concerns and requests for clarification from Councilor Russo.
The Context of the Purchase
On 2 August 2023, the Messina City Council approved a resolution authorizing the purchase of the two prestigious buildings for a total of 16.2 million euros, destined to become the new headquarters of the city’s Palace of Justice. The purchase was formalized on 7 August 2023, with the signing of the contract between the Municipality of Messina and the selling companies “Unire 100 srl” and “Unire 54 SpA”. Following the signing, the competent manager of the Municipality’s tax services department issued a resolution, no. 9222 of 9 November 2023, for the commitment and liquidation of 9,460,000 euros as the first down payment.
The Concerns of the Russian Councilor
Councilor Alessandro Russo raised a series of concerns regarding the appropriateness of the purchase price and the transparency of the evaluations carried out. According to the opinion of congruity drawn up by the architect. Giovanni Rizzo, appointed by the company “Patrimonio Messina SpA”, the market value of the properties was deemed reasonable. However, Russo highlighted that the fairness opinion was based on a tabular estimate and not on a detailed metric calculation of the renovation works. This evaluation method raises questions about the transparency and accuracy of the evaluation itself.
Differences in Ratings
The purchase price of the two buildings, paid to UNICREDIT SpA by the selling companies, was respectively 3.2 million euros for the former Cassa di Risparmio Vittorio Emanuele building and 600,000 euros for the former Banca di Roma building. The architect’s opinion of congruity. Rizzo then valued the two properties at 6,314,000 euros and 2,679,000 euros respectively. Subsequently, the total purchase price was set at 16.2 million euros, including renovation and adaptation works.
Key Questions from the Russian Advisor
Councilor Russo formulated several key questions for the municipal administration:
- Price Evaluation: Why was the market value of the two buildings assessed, in the preliminary phase of the purchase, with a price per square meter higher than that estimated by the Real Estate Market Observatory (OMI) of the Revenue Agency?
- Evaluation Method: Why was the final sales quotation accepted on the basis of an opinion of adequacy based on presumptive tabular calculation criteria, without an estimated metric calculation validated by the technical offices of the administration or by the “Patrimonio Messina” company?
- Commercial surfaces: Whether areas that cannot be used for office purposes have been included in the calculation of the overall surface area, such as rooms on the floor below the street of the former Cassa di Risparmio Vittorio Emanuele building.
- Security Certifications: If the selling companies have provided the documentation relating to the static safety and seismic vulnerability of the buildings, requested by the Civil Engineers of Messina.
- Design and Renovation: If the selling companies have presented the necessary planning to the BBCCAA Superintendency of Messina to start the works in compliance with the historical and architectural value of the buildings, and if information has been received about this planning to the administration.
- Compliance with Contractual Terms: If the contractual terms of fourteen months foreseen for the delivery of the repurposed buildings will be respected, considering that the construction sites have not yet started.
