In order to “obtain election or re-election” one would have “sold off one’s function and activity in exchange for funding, thus abdicating one’s important institutional duties”. The words of the investigating judge of Genoa Paola Faggioni in the order with which the house arrest was ordered for the President of Liguria refer to the governor Giovanni Toti.
An order in which the judge, reporting a series of wiretaps, paints a picture of an “alarming habituality and systematicity of such a perfectly tested mechanism” which would have begun in 2020 on the occasion of the regional elections and which, according to the reconstruction, continued until a year ago: Toti with “surprising ease” would have raised funds (over 74 thousand euros) for his Committee with “requests for money from entrepreneurs” the Spinellis and Francesco Moncada, director of Esselunga, also under house arrest, “promising (…) behaviors or measures favorable to him” or even remembering “that he has done his part” and therefore to expect, if we can say so, a generous gesture, i.e. donations and financing in view of the current electoral campaign.
And so in September 2021, regarding the renewal of the Bulk Terminal concession, the Governor said to Aldo Spinelli: “Your stuff goes on the 29th… remember that I’m also waiting for a hand… eh?”. And the other with a joke: «but also Enel». And once the thirty-year renewal of the concession was approved, the following December, the Group sent out 4 transfers of 10 thousand euros each in two days, with the reason for “liberal disbursement”. And this is because the owner of the logistics giant «I have to do the financing of the parties (..)», but «everything is in order», although, in the 650 pages, an unsuccessful attempt to «shield» the origin of the money intended for the former journalist who “climbed” the building in Piazza De Ferrari.
There are many interceptions to demonstrate how Giovanni Toti would have made “his function, his powers, his role” available in exchange for funding also requested with a defined, allusive terminology (“when you show me the boat… when you I can come and visit”) to the point of making the precautionary measure requested and obtained by prosecutors Luca Monteverde and Federico Manotti led by prosecutor Nicola Piacente necessary. They range from the one in which, still addressing Aldo Spinelli, he says «now we’ll see each other to celebrate, come on, bring some caviar from Monaco, and next week we’ll come and eat a potato with caviar on the boat», to one in which « solved the problem for your son regarding the Celle house plan, now let’s practice, it can be built”. Then he added: “so let’s talk a bit because now there are elections, we need a hand.” And the one in which he works for the “solution” that allows the Punta dell’Olmo beach to be transformed from free to private. From the conversations intercepted by the Guardia di Finanza, the «willingness to support the interests of Esselunga» to allow the opening of new supermarkets, in exchange for the payment of hidden advertising, also comes to light.
And finally also the shadow of the mafia, it is the hypothesis, to collect votes in exchange for favors (Toti is not responsible for this accusation) with members of the Riesi clan who say they are “all friends of Toti”.
