Reggio Calabria, “Public housing”: 27 indictments

REGGIO CALABRIA The preliminary hearing of the trial ended with the indictment of 27 defendants “Public housing“. 16, however, were acquitted, including the former manager of Aterp of Reggio Calabria, Eugenia Rita Minicò, accused of external complicity in a mafia association and other crimes. Against him and, against those of another acquitted defendant, Annunziato Tripodi, the investigating judge Vincenzo Quaranta revoked the precautionary measure that had been ordered by the investigating judge last February at the request of the DDA of Reggio Calabria as part of an investigation into alleged illicit actions in the management of public housing assignments by Aterp, the territorial company for public housing.
Apart from corruption alleged against Eugenia Rita Minicò for which the preliminary hearing judge declared the statute of limitations, for all the other crimes for which she was investigated she was acquitted with the formula “because the fact does not exist”. Also leaving the trial are the defendants Roberto Franco, Carmela Morabito, Domenico Morabito, Giovanni Marcianò, Paola Costantino, Domenico Alvaro, Carmelo Caminiti, Irina Kandyba, Annunziato Tripodi, Donatello Canzonieri, Orsola Di Lollo, Giovanni Palillo, Filippo Arabesco, Maddalena Anna Cuzzola and Debora Arabesco.
Among those sent to trial is the boss of the ‘Ndrangheta, Carmelo Murinaaged 60, already detained for another reason, and his brother-in-law, Joseph Augustine, aged 54, both accused of mafia-type criminal association. According to the Prosecutor’s Office and the Carabinieri who conducted the investigations, in fact, there was the ‘Ndrangheta behind the illegal market in public housing which was assigned to people who were not entitled to it. Three municipal employees were also sent to trial, including Antonio Nucera, working in the public works sector of the Municipality of Reggio Calabriaaccused of external complicity.