Another sentence arrives for Domenico Lucano. Yet another testimony to a “Riace” model that continues to leak from all sides. A model that nevertheless launched his popularity, contributing to his re-election not only as mayor of Riace, a small Calabrian village of two thousand souls, but also as MEP for the Bonelli&Fratoianni couple. And now, two sentences hang over Lucano’s head: a civil one, from the Court of Auditors of Catanzaro; the other criminal, of the Court of Appeal of Reggio Calabria. But let’s proceed in order, starting from the sentence imposed on the MEP by the accounting magistrates just two days ago, on 11 October. A heavy sentence, 215/2024, of 475 pages, and in which in addition to the AVS exponent, 39 other local administrators and owners of cooperatives and associations active in Calabria were sentenced. A sentence that imposed a huge compensation of over 4.2 million euros for mismanagement of public funds.
The investigations by the Court of Auditors and the Locri Prosecutor’s Office have revealed serious irregularities, essentially, in the management of the funds intended for reception. A key step is represented by the agreement of 4 July 2011, stipulated by Lucano as mayor and by Salvatore Mazzeo, former manager of the Civil Protection sector of the Calabria Region, as implementing body for the migrant emergency. This agreement provided for a compensation of 46 euros per day for each migrant hosted in the facilities, with an increase of up to 80 euros for migrants belonging to vulnerable categories, such as pregnant women and disabled people. According to the accounting magistrates, many of the services envisaged by the agreement were not actually provided, or in any case not in the expected manner. In particular, during the process it emerged that several structures did not comply with the minimum standards required, and that the Municipality of Riace had not carried out the necessary checks on the documentation presented by the subcontractors responsible for providing the services. This lack of vigilance has led to a distorted use of public funds, with accusations of undue locupletion and embezzlement.
Another of the central elements of the criticism leveled against the left-wing MEP concerns the system of indirect management of reception funds. Instead of directly managing the services, the Municipality of Riace had entrusted this task to a series of social cooperatives and local private associations, through agreements stipulated without calling for tenders or competitive procedures. This method has raised suspicions of favoritism and lack of transparency. Among the cooperatives involved, the “Le Rasole Società Cooperativa Sociale”, the “Calabriaccoglie Consorzio di Cooperative Sociali”, “Promidea Cooperativa Sociale”, “Centro di Solidarietà il Delfino Società Cooperativa Sociale” and “Cantieri Società Cooperativa Sociale. The accusations supported by the Locri Prosecutor’s Office were based on the fact that these cooperatives would have received disproportionate compensation compared to the services actually provided. In fact, the Municipality did not carry out sufficient checks on the quality and effectiveness of the services provided, thus contributing to a distorted use of public resources.
Another of the most critical aspects that emerged from the investigations is linked to the so-called issue of “available but unoccupied beds”. According to the accusations, Riace also received funds for beds which, in reality, were not occupied by migrants, but which were nevertheless reported as if they had been used. This practice contributed to inflating balance sheets and triggered accusations of undue locupletion. And so Lucano will now have to compensate the Presidency of the Council of Ministers 531,327.65 euros, a sum that will have to be paid jointly and severally with Mazzeo and other parties involved. Despite the heavy accusations and convictions, Lucano has always denied any wrongdoing, claiming that his actions were dictated exclusively by humanitarian motivations and the desire to guarantee the well-being of the migrants welcomed in Riace. However, the lawyers of the convicts have already announced their intention to contest the sentence, so a new chapter could open in the Supreme Court.
In addition to the conviction for treasury damage, Lucano, as mentioned, is currently accused in another trial, the so-called “Xenia” and which concerns further alleged irregularities in the management of reception in Riace. The final hearing of the trial has been set for November 6th at the Court of Cassation. In 2023, the MEP was sentenced to 18 months of suspended prison for the crime of forgery, a sentence that overturned the heavy first degree sentence, which included 13 years and 2 months in prison for crimes related to the management of public funds. At this point, as for his party partner, Ilaria Salis, immunity as an MEP could also be useful for Lucano.
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