Venice Public Prosecutor’s Office says there is “widespread Illegitimacy in the Municipality of Venice” in construction and tenders in their accusations against Brugnaro.
The Public Prosecutor’s Office of Venice has levelled serious accusations against Mayor Luigi Brugnaro, alleging a “systematic pursuit of personal interests.” According to prosecutors, the blind trust managing Brugnaro’s companies during his mayoral term is ineffective because he has not genuinely divested his shareholdings. Instead, the trust is controlled by Brugnaro’s loyalists, high-ranking municipal officials who still manage his business network.
Prosecutors Roberto Terzo and Federica Baccaglini have detailed these allegations in their 940-page request for precautionary measures. The investigation has uncovered “an administrative context marked by widespread illegitimacy,” particularly in urban planning, construction, and tenders within the Municipality of Venice.
The allegations extend to “environmental corruption,” highlighting critical issues within the administrative structure of the municipality, its subsidiaries, the Metropolitan City (where Brugnaro also serves as mayor), and regional bodies such as the Vas Commission and Arpav.
The investigation has revealed a high-tech cat-and-mouse game between officials and investigators. Over the past two years, there have been numerous attempts to evade surveillance, including phone changes, tip-offs about wiretaps, and the use of anti-infiltration technologies.
Public officials even requested “latest-generation non-infiltrable equipment” from the municipal company Venis to avoid being monitored. This technological battle is detailed in the prosecutors’ request for precautionary measures, illustrating the lengths to which those involved went to avoid detection.
