Piedmont, the builders finance, the politician appoints

Non 2019 in Piedmont, some companies of the Fantinis, a family of builders, financed the electoral campaign of the president of the Region Alberto Cirio and of the PD group leader Raffaele Gallo, who promoted the nomination in 2022 of Roberto Fantini, now under investigation for external competition in mafia association, in the regional body for the control of contracts and tenders

Andrea GiambartolomeiLavialibera editor

June 7, 2024

Here is an example of how, sometimes, controlled and controller surprisingly end up coinciding. An entrepreneur, representative of a family with many interests in public works, is appointed councilor in the body that controls contracts and tenders of the Piedmont Region and its subsidiaries. More so, because the family of the entrepreneur in question is also a generous financier of candidates and parties of different colours. No conflicts of interest raised.

It is the case of Roberto Fantini55 years old, entrepreneur from Turin investigated for external competition in mafia association as part of the Echidna investigation for his economic relations with an alleged ‘Ndrangheta boss. As emerged after the operation last April, in 2022 he was the candidate supported by the Democratic Party for the role of councilor of theRegional body for collaborative control (Orecol), which deals with combating illegalities in the acts of the Region and its investee companies. Fantini appears to be close not only to the Pasqua family, considered by the Turin Anti-Mafia District Directorate to be at the top of the Brandizzo ‘Ndrangheta club, but also to the family of two politicians, the Gallo: Salvatore and Raffaeleleader of the Pd group in the regional council until 7 April 2024. In his 2019 election campaign, the young Dem politician had received an electoral contribution from one of the companies of the Fantini family group, which he also paid to the president Alberto Cirio and Fratelli d’Italia of financing. Funding which, if it were truly transparent, would allow the discovery and reporting of crimes conflicts of interest before criminal proceedings.

2019 electoral financing.

In 2019, some companies linked to Cogefa, the large company of the Fantini family, active in the construction sector, provided electoral contributions to the right and left. For example the Taurus srlled by Filippo Fantini (son of Massimo and nephew of Roberto), has allocated 5 thousand euros for the electoral campaign of Alberto Cirio, the Forza Italia candidate then elected president of Piedmont. Taurus also – emerges from the reports available on the parliament website – on 7 May 2019 transferred 2,500 euros to Fratelli d’Italia. Finally another company, the Lmf Advisorwhich belongs to Massimo Fantini’s Lema Consulting Ltf and is still part of the Cogefa group, provided 5 thousand euros to Raffaele Gallo, who later became leader of the Pd group in the regional council.

Lavialibera obtained these data by consulting the accounts, duly filed with the Court of Appeal. To the section “Register of elected officials” on the Piedmont Region website, however, these data are not available. Despite long searches and requests for generalized civic access on record, we were not able to control the funding allocated to the electoral lists.

An additional weapon for citizens: civic monitoring

The Echidna investigation, from Fantini to the Gallo

The ROS carabinieri arrived at Salvatore Gallo investigating Roberto Fantini during the Echidna investigation. Gallo, first a socialist and then a Democratic Party politician, until 2015 held top positions in the Italian company for the Frejus motorway tunnel (Sitaf), which manages the Turin-Bardonecchia motorway, and in the subsidiary Sitalfa, of which Fantini was director and with which he gave work to the company of Giuseppe Pasqua, under investigation on charges of being the boss of the ‘Ndrangheta in Brandizzo (Turin). Gallo senior – 85 years old – is under investigation for extortion, embezzlement and electoral corruption.

The interests of the Gallos in the appointments

From the ordinance of the Echidna operation emerges a certain commitment of Raffaele Gallo and his father Salvatore in the nominations of people close to them in some public companies. Among these, there is also the interest in Fantini’s roles in Sitalfa, a company controlled by Sitaf, in which Salvatore Gallo had a top role for a long time, and then in the Società dell’Interporto di Torino (Sito), of which the financial company of the Region, Finpiemonte, is a shareholder. For this appointment, which took place in 2020, “Gallo Salvatore and Fantini Massimo attributed paternity to each other”, we read in the ordinance. However, in June 2021 Roberto Fantini resigned, both for health reasons and to take up the position in a company of the Cogefa group, Cogepi, which could have given rise to conflicts of interest.

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Fantini’s appointment to Orecol

On 21 July 2022 the Piedmont Regional Council will meet advisory commission for appointments, which expresses opinions on who is best suited to fill a position. They have to choose between people of “notorious independence, of high and proven professionalism, with recognized experience in the public or private sector” and a series of skills. The council and the regional council must carry out “a rigorous evaluation of the applications”.

That morning, in addition to the members and substitutes for those absent, there are two external councilors who ask to participate. One is the leader of the PD group Gallo. From the minutes of the meeting, obtained from lavialiberait emerges that it is he who speaks personally with the president of the commission, the Northern League member Stefano Allasia: gives his opinion on the definition of “notorious independence” and “suggests reflecting on whether or not it is appropriate to better define the chronological ‘cooling’ time”; explains “that the concept of ‘public office’ (one of the limits for nominations, ed) is absolutely indeterminate”. In short, it helps to refine some selection criteria. In the end, on the “well-known independence”, the commission agrees: “those who hold positions will be excluded.” elective public positions, public positions or positions in political parties or trade union organizations or who have had such positions or positions in the last three years” and also “those who have continuous collaboration or consultancy relationships with political parties or trade union organizations or who have had such relationships in the three years prior to the appointment”. Party funding is not considered as a criterion for “notorious independence”.

Gallo also participates in the next meeting, on November 17. Councilors are given a working document – ​​obtained from lavialibera – with candidate profiles and evaluations. We read that on July 21st some, with valuable CVs, were deemed unsuitable. For example, the Carabinieri general Mariano Mossa was found to be “untransferable” because he had completed his assignment in the previous three years. The senior officer thus withdraws his candidacy. Others, however, are discarded for roles in companies, healthcare companies or foundations linked to the Region.

The investigations into various local administrators damage the relationship between elected officials and voters because they indicate an incorrect way of gathering consensus

Some aspects are noted about Fantini: president of a company that carries out construction and maintenance of roads and motorways (Cogepi, ed); from July 2020 to 2021 councilor of theTurin Interportroles in other private companies and director of a “publicly controlled company that manages the processes of purchasing goods, works and services in application of the Procurement Code”. Initially the commission recommended “evaluate the professionalism requirement (…) as this seems to emerge only from the position of CEO of a publicly controlled company that deals with public procurement”, but – just one line below – we read that “in the meeting of 21 July”, at which he Gallo participated, “the Commission, making an initial assessment, considered the requirement of professionalism to be integrated”.

On November 22nd the regional council chooses three members from the 17 eligible ones. Fantini is proposed for the role of president, but only gets seven votes against the 21 of the former magistrate Arturo Soprano. However, he gets 11 votes as a councilor and makes it. For this role, he will be paid a gross monthly salary of 2,157.93 euros.

After the Echidna operation, on 7 April Raffaele Gallo left his position as group leader and interrupted the election campaignwhile Fantini left his role in Orecol “with a long letter of apology”, writes the newspaper Turin News.

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The issue of transparency of party financing

“Absolute transparency on the electoral campaign because I finance it myself”, announced – during a comparison between the candidates in the regional elections organized by Libera Piemonte on 28 May – President Alberto Cirio, who in 2019 had instead received almost 60 thousand euros from citizens and companies . The main rival, the Democratic Party candidate Gianna Penteneropromised greater transparency.

After Echidna, the party submitted to the candidates and those of the allied lists a self-regulation code: “In addition to scrupulously respecting the legislation on transparency and electoral reporting, the candidate undertakes to make public the budget and final budget of the electoral campaign, highlighting all sources of funding, both direct and indirect, deriving from private individuals or through associations, foundations, centers Education”. Companies are missing from the list. Then there is another lock pick. All this must be done “in compliance with current legislation privacy policy“, with which often – as demonstrated by this case – thecollective interest.

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