Puglia, former councilor Alfonso Pisicchio and his brother arrested

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The former councilor of the Puglia Region Alfonso Pisicchio, and his brother Enzo Pisicchio, were placed under house arrest as part of an investigation by the Bari Prosecutor’s Office. The crimes alleged once morest the former regional councilor, arrested with 5 other people (1 in prison, 4 under house arrest, 2 are banned from carrying out professional activities for 12 months) are, among other things, corruption for an act contrary to official duties, corruption for the exercise of the function, fraud, aggravated fraud for the achievement of public donations, material falsity, disturbed freedom of auctions.

Rigged tenders

The investigation coordinated by the Bari Prosecutor’s Office concerns alleged rigged tenders. Cosimo Napoletano, 58 years old, from Monopoli, ended up in prison. In addition to the Pisicchio brothers, under house arrest are Francesco Catanese, 59 years old from Bari and Giovanni Riefoli, originally from Barletta but resident in Bari, aged 58. The ban from professional activity for one year concerns Vincenzo Iannuzzi and Grazia Palmitessa. In the order signed by the investigating judge of the Bari court, Ilaria Casu, it is explained that for the Pisicchio brothers “the only measure proportional to the seriousness of the charges adequate to avoid the danger of repeating the crime is that of house arrest”. Specifically, the provision clarifies that for Alfonsino Pisiscchio the accusations of corruption and disturbed freedom of auctions concern the period in which he was councilor of the Emiliano council, when he allegedly used «his political influence and his relationships, through his brother Enzo, for a clientelistic management of his role, with favoritism to obtain returns in terms of electoral consensus, through hiring in favored or advantaged companies of people who ensure the vote and who had also served in his party”. Enzo Pisicchio, on the other hand, would have acted «as an executor of the directives» of his brother «and as a screen to prevent tracing the role and contribution of Alfonsino». Enzo Pisicchio would have had a «key role in the mix of crimes attributed to him» as «intermediary and fixer in the relationships, at various levels, between public administration officials – municipal and regional – and entrepreneurs not only at a local but also national level ».

The utilities

The investigating judge highlights “the seriousness of his conduct, the unscrupulousness shown in the commission of crimes aimed at satisfying an uncontainable appetite for utility”, explaining that by utility we mean “PCs, mobile phones, household furniture, the false hiring of his daughter, payment by Riefoli for his daughter’s graduation party, large sums of cash”. «The events examined showed the broad ability of the two suspects to exploit the relationships built over a long time in the regional and municipal context to pilot the administrative action and gain personal advantage from it», continues the investigating judge.