Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala has denied any wrongdoing. He is currently under investigation in a major corruption probe involving urban planning projects in the city.
Addressing the city assembly on Monday, Sala defended his record after prosecutors confirmed he was among 74 people being investigated. The case is the latest in a series of corruption inquiries focused on real estate and redevelopment deals in Italy’s financial capital.
“My hands are clean,” Sala told council members. “Everything I have done over the course of my two terms as mayor has always been exclusively based on the interest of the citizens and the people of the city. There is not a single act that can be attributed to my benefit.”
The investigation centres on allegations of bribery, illegal construction, and undue inducement. Among the projects being scrutinised is the redevelopment of the ‘Pirellino’ building, a high-profile scheme in central Milan.
Last Wednesday, prosecutors requested the arrest of six people. They include the city’s Urban Regeneration Chief Giancarlo Tancredi and Manfredi Catella, CEO of the prominent real estate firm Coima. Finance police have searched Milan city hall and seized documents from the homes and offices of both Tancredi and Catella.
Sources also named Italian architect Stefano Boeri, known for Milan’s Bosco Verticale towers, as one of the individuals under investigation.
The case is being closely watched as Milan continues its rapid transformation through large-scale urban regeneration projects. Milan mayor Sala, who has been in office since 2016, insisted that he would cooperate fully with authorities.
