Four Italian soldiersserving in the Navy, were subjected to residence requirement and for a Libyan officer it was arranged arrest in prison as part of an investigation by Brindisi Prosecutor’s Office.
The five are accused of cigarette smugglingarbitrary boarding of contraband goods on the military vessel Capri, corruption for acts contrary to official duties and ideological falsehood.
The four soldiers under investigation are three officers and a non-commissioned officer of the Navy while the Libyan officer is serving in the African country’s coast guard.
The survey was conducted by the Financial Police.
According to the prosecution, the crimes were committed during the international mission “Operation Safe Sea” carried out by the Italian Navy vessel Capri in the port of Tripoli from 14 December 2017 to 28 March 2018.
Two of the officers involved are of Tarantinothe other of the Province of Brindisiwhile the non-commissioned officer is resident in the Bat.
In this mission the investigators believe that officers would have played a leading roleincluding second officer, chief of operations of the Capri naval unit and technical officer.
The final landing place of the ship in the port of Brindisi took place on May 14, 2018.
From the investigative activity it would have emerged that the suspects had organized the boarding, transport from the port of Tripoli to that of Brindisi and the introduction into Italy of approx 300 kilograms of smuggled foreign processed tobacco, intended for sale to members of the Italian Navy and also to outsiders. In addition to cigarettes, for those investigating, there was also contraband goods procured on the local market by the Libyan Coast Guard officer.
For the prosecution, the officer from Brindisi would have recovered the sum of money necessary to finance the supplies to Tripoli of the illicit cargo, through invoicing for operations that are totally or partially non-existent by Libyan companies believed to be close to the arrested officer, making them appear as supplies of goods and services useful to the ship.
According to investigators, the officer from Brindisi and the Libyan one would have been linked by a corrupt pact.
In the investigation I am three other people are under investigationincluding another member of the armed forces, and two relatives of the Brindisi officer, who supported the man in the transport and storage of the contraband cigarettes.
