Liguria, President Giovanni Toti under house arrest: he is accused of corruption.

"We are very calm". These are the words of John Toti returning to his apartment at GenoVa, escorted by plainclothes Guardia di Finanza personnel. The President of the Liguria Region is at the arrest as part of an investigation by Dda Genoese and Guardia di Finanza. The charge is of corruption.

Toti could go to his house ad ameglia, in the La Spezia area, where he lives, by virtue of the arrest for the investigation into corruption.

“On the occasion and in conjunction with the four electoral competitions that followed one another” in 18 months, from 2021 to 2022, “Toti, pressured by the need to raise funds to face the electoral campaign, made his function and powers available to private interests, in exchange for funding, reiterating the mechanism with various entrepreneurs”. This is what the investigating judge of Genoa wrote in the precautionary custody order against the President of Liguria and other people under investigation for corruption.

“It's very serene and very quiet”, repeats his lawyer Stefano Savi reiterating that "there is no talk of resignation, but of suspension from office". Toti, Savi repeated, «He will continue to work. As we have seen so far they are all facts to which we can give an explanation in the context of a legitimate administrative activity for the public interest".

The Vice President of the Liguria Region Alexander Piana will replace President Giovanni Toti pro tempore in all his functions and in full powers. The same body communicates this in a note reiterating that “the administrative activity of the Liguria Region continues without interruption”. «We are close to our president Toti, certain that he has always acted in the exclusive interest of Liguria. - declares Piana - We hope that clarity will be clarified as soon as possible and that the president can thus demonstrate his total non-involvement in the disputed facts".

Toti, who left his apartment in Genoa with the Guardia di Finanza, told the journalists present that he could not make any statements. «I can't talk, talk to the lawyer», he repeated several times, as soon as he left his apartment before reaching the provincial command of the yellow flames, on the Canepa seafront.

Matteo is also under house arrest Cozzani, chief of staff and Toti's right-hand man. He is accused of electoral corruption, aggravated by the circumstance referred to inart. 416-bis.1 cp because, for the accusation, would have facilitated the activity of Cosa Nostra. In particular it would have facilitated the Cammarata clan of the Riesi district (Caltanissetta) with projection in the city of Genoa. He is also accused of corruption for the exercise of the function.

Genoese terminal operator Aldo Spinelli is also under house arrest. The former president of the Western Ligurian Sea Port System Authority is in prison Paul Emilio Signorini, now CEO of Iren. According to the investigation, the entrepreneur gave money to Toti to obtain favors in exchange such as the concession to Spinelli for the areas of the Rinfuse terminal.

As part of the investigation by the Genoa prosecutor's office into a corruption ring, Francesco Moncada is also under investigation, director of Esselunga SpA. Moncada, subjected to a temporary ban from carrying out entrepreneurial and professional activities on charges of corruption. Same size for Roberto Spinelli, entrepreneur in the logistics and real estate sector, son of Aldo Spinelli, and for Mauro Vianello, an entrepreneur operating in the Port of Genoa, accused of corruption against Signorini, former president of the port.