Venice is shook by corruption scandal
Great excitement in Venice: Investigations by the Financial Police raise suspicions that city employees received tens of thousands of Euros and acted in the interests of the companies. Among the suspects is Mayor Luigi Brugnaro. One of his closest aides is in preventive detention.
Venice and especially Mayor Luigi Brugnaro wanted to make big headlines this year. And indeed, with the success of the admission fee, which was payable only on certain days from April 25 to July 14, 2023. However, the final balance will be overshadowed by the scandal that has shaken the city since Tuesday.
This scandal involves corruption, misconduct, and massive amounts of money. Already, one or two million Euros, the Italian media are not in agreement on the exact amount, have been seized. The fact that investigations are also being carried out against Brugnaro himself is causing even more international attention.
According to the current investigation, 15 people are involved in the corruption affair, the extent of which is still unclear. Among them, according to media reports, are some city councilors who work closely with the mayor. They speak of a "System Venice."
At the helm of this system is reportedly the 55-year-old Renato Boraso, who is responsible for mobility in the city council. Boraso has been in custody since yesterday along with a construction company owner. Others involved are in house arrest or have been suspended from their duties. Investigations against Brugnaro are ongoing.
Head held high, Italy
Boraso has been involved in city politics for a long time. First as a member of Berlusconi's party Forza Italia, later switching to Brugnaro's party "Coraggio Italia." The name of the party, which means "courage" in Italian, could be translated as "Head held high, Italy."
In eleven cases, according to media reports, investigations are being conducted against Boraso. He is said to have "systematically used his public office to the benefit of businesses." Concretely, this means that he allegedly sold public property below market value and received generous compensation for it.
The most notorious of these deals involves the Venetian Palazzo Papadopoli, located in the Sestiere San Polo, directly on the Grand Canal. It was sold for 10.7 million Euros in 2018. The market value was approximately 14 million Euros. The municipality sold it to a Singaporean entrepreneur, Ching Chiat Kwong. Boraso is said to have received bribes totaling 73,200 Euros for this deal. Officially, the invoice was issued for consulting services from his company Stella Consulting, a service that, according to investigations, did not exist.
Accomplices and Informants?
And then there's Mayor Brugnaro. Two more of his aides are under house arrest. But one by one. As records of phone calls show, Brugnaro knew about Boraso's underhanded deals. During a phone call that took place on March 17, 2023, Brugnaro warned the city councilor: "They're asking me if you're asking for money. You're not checking, you're taking too much of a risk. I tell you, be careful, you need to cool it down." In fact, Boraso had been under surveillance since July 2022. The Financial Police monitored his phone calls, observed meetings with officials and businessmen.
Mayor Brugnaro could now face the fate of Palazzo Papadopoli. And for the following reason. Since he had also agreed to sell the Palazzo at a market price, it could be related to another business that meant much more to Brugnaro and for which the Asian entrepreneur had also shown interest.
The second real estate object was a plot between the lagoon and Mestre, which was in the private ownership of the Mayor. Brugnaro had bought it for five million Euros in 2006. The plot was still heavily contaminated by the chemical industry in Porto Marghera and the port. Its value increased over the years, however, especially since 2015, when Brugnaro took over the Mayoral office and the community passed a new regulation in the field of land and sustainability.
Two of his employees arranged a payment of 150 million Euros with Ching Chiat Kwong. In return, the Singaporean entrepreneur received the promise that the authorized construction volume on the plot would be doubled. Business buildings were to be built and necessary road rerouting was to be carried out. Brugnaro denies the allegations, stating that everything was done according to the rules and he is always available to the Prosecutor's Office.
A final curious note: Brugnaro founded the party "Coraggio Italia" together with the President of the Ligurian Region Giovanni Toti almost exactly three years ago, on July 14, 2018. Toti has been under house arrest since May 7 due to corruption charges.
The corruption scandal in Venice has garnered international attention, with investigations extending beyond Mayor Luigi Brugnaro. Multinational entities are scrutinizing the alleged misuse of public funds and potential collusion between city officials and private companies.
Theinternational scrutiny of the Venice corruption case deepens as allegations of bribery and collusion between city officials and Asian investors emerge, including the sale of the Venetian Palazzo Papadopoli at a significantly discounted price.
