Padua, bribes for disposing of waste with Etra trucks and vans: five investigated for corruption

The accusation is of having implemented a personal waste disposal business capable of guaranteeing them extra income. The two street cleaners would have used the trucks Etra to collect material decommissioned by three companies to dispose of the material inside the Padua waste-to-energy plant without the knowledge of the facility staff and for a fee of bribes donated by the entrepreneurs who saved money in this way on tariffs. Five people are under investigation: two workers employed by the public waste disposal company (one from Vicenza and one from Treviso), together with three other company entrepreneurs are suspected of corruption, embezzlement, unauthorized management and illicit burning of waste.

The investigation

A long investigation involved the Padua Prosecutor’s Office and, at its disposal, at the first light of dawn on Friday the investigative unit of the Carabinieri of the Padua Provincial Command – together with the forestry carabinieri units of Padua and Grantorto – they conducted a raid aimed at one of the vehicles of Etra SpA, a benefit company in service in the municipality of Piazzola sul Brenta, in the Padua area. Patrols and men in plain clothes stopped the truck in question and took possession of it, taking it to the Camposampiero warehouse while, at the same time, house searches had already been arranged for all those involved in the illicit activity. According to the hypotheses that emerge from the investigations the two Etra operators would have on many occasions, and again during their official work shift, they diverted the pre-established route for the agreed waste collection to contact three companies (all from Upper Padua) and provide them with an undue disposal service in exchange for a few tens of euros. It then emerged during the searches aimed at the companies involved in the illegal business that in two of these there was a lot of material classified as «special waste» and that the same, even if not considered dangerous in any case, was kept in violation of the correct provisions established by law. Furthermore, an entire area dedicated to one of the two companies was also found illegal allocation of deposited wasteamong which the carabinieri would have identified – and then seized – pallets of material which would probably have been made up of asbestos.

Etra is a stranger

It was the Etra company itself that reiterated that it was completely unaware of the illicit conduct of its two employees: «Our collectors, as well as all our employees – states the president of the board of directors Flavio Frasson, – they are our pride, in fact they represent the energy and effort with which Etra takes care of the territory. Internal anti-corruption and transparency policies, together with internal control measures, they are based on principles of correctness and aim to guarantee legality and full compliance with the provisions of current legislation”, continues Frasson.

Zero tolerance

«All employees are therefore called upon to respect them: there is no compromise on this. If they emerge, at the end of the investigationsresponsibility lies with the two workers under investigation, we will take all appropriate measures because for us honesty and integrity are essential values ​​that must unite all our employees. Tolerance in the event of demonstrably dishonest behavior is equal to zero and this also protects the reputation of the company as well as all the other Etra workers who carry out their tasks in an absolutely professional manner on a daily basis. We will therefore always be alongside the competent authorities to guarantee full legitimacy and correctness in the provision of our services”.

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June 8, 2024 (changed June 8, 2024 | 07:40)

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