Frosinone, 13 precautionary measures for criminal association aimed at corruption, in Operation “The Good Lobby”

Following an investigation conducted by the Rome Office of the European Public Prosecutor's Office, investigators from the State Police of the Frosinone Flying Squad and the Central Operations Service of the Central Anti-Crime Directorate of Rome have executed an order implementing 13 personal precautionary measures and seizures issued by the GIP of the Court of Frosinone against a group of people seriously suspected of criminal association aimed at corruption.

Among the suspects, believed to belong to the criminal organization, 10 of whom were subjected to house arrest and 3 others to interdiction measures prohibiting them from practicing their profession, businesses and offices and from entering into collaboration contracts with the Public Administration, there are also the mayor of Ceccano (FR) and other officials and employees of the same Municipality.

Together with the 13 precautionary measures, the State Police carried out the preventive seizure aimed at confiscating the illicit proceeds seized by the members of the association, for an amount of over 500.000 euros.

The investigation, which represents one of the first results of the investigative activities coordinated by the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO) on the crime of corruption related to PNRR funds, has brought to light a complex corruption system within the aforementioned Municipality. Individuals external to the municipal administration were able to steer some important contracts, meeting the favors and complicity of the mayor and representatives of those municipal sectors where the funds intended for the realization of works and services were managed.

The criminal association was able to illegally manage a series of public concessions and authorizations and the assignment of public contracts for a value of around 5 million euros, collecting the illicit payment of money through an innovative and complex system of bribes.. The money, laundered through a system of invoicing and transfers to fictitious companies, was then monetized and hand-delivered to the association's top management. The contracts in which the suspects were interested were financed with PNRR funds and European funds for the management of migrant reception. Hence the jurisdiction of the European Public Prosecutor's Office (EPPO), an independent body of the European Union responsible for investigating, prosecuting and bringing to trial crimes such as fraud, corruption and money laundering that harm the EU's financial interests.

The investigation concerned in particular the redevelopment works of the historic centre (Euro 666.500), the safety and seismic risk reduction works of the Borgo Berardi elementary school (Euro 440.000) and the restoration works of the Castello dei Conti (Euro 1.386.000), all awarded through a negotiated procedure without prior publication of the tender notice, as well as the contract for integrated reception services for asylum seekers and refugees.. For this contract, relating to the three-year period 2021/2023, the cooperative in question obtained payment from the municipality of Ceccano of over 1.500.000 euros. In 2022 alone, the same cooperative made transfers totaling approximately 60.000 euros to one of the companies attributable to the criminal association, for alleged cleaning services.

The investigative findings emerged from the technical activity and the laborious work of financial and banking investigations conducted by the Asset Investigations Section of the Central Operations Service of the State Police.