The father of Andrea Sempio, a newly identified suspect in the 2007 murder of Chiara Poggi in Garlasco near Pavia, is under investigation for allegedly bribing a prosecutor to drop an earlier case against his son, Rai News reported on Thursday.
According to investigators, Giuseppe Sempio is suspected of paying former Pavia prosecutor Mario Venditti between 20,000 and 30,000 euros to close the previous probe into his son, who was a friend of Poggi’s brother Marco. Venditti is already accused of taking bribes in connection with the Garlasco case.
Police searched Venditti’s homes in Pavia, Genoa, and Campione d’Italia last month, as well as the homes of two law enforcement officers currently on leave. The residences of the Sempio family were also searched.
Venditti had twice dropped investigations into Andrea Sempio, now 37, who became a suspect again earlier this year after new DNA evidence emerged.
The Brescia Prosecutor’s Office said there were “a number of anomalies” in a 2017 investigation into Sempio, citing “opaque contacts” with personnel from Venditti’s office and suggesting that the family may have had “advance knowledge” of the questions to be asked during interrogation.
Stasi nearing end of jail term for Poggi’s murder
Chiara Poggi’s former boyfriend, Alberto Stasi, 42, is nearing the end of a 16-year prison sentence for her murder, imposed in 2015 after two acquittals were overturned by Italy’s supreme court. Stasi, a former Bocconi University student, has always maintained his innocence.
His lawyer, Antonio De Rensis, described the new allegations as “unheard of,” saying the investigation that led to Stasi’s conviction was “riddled with errors and horrors.”
Sempio’s lawyer, Massimo Lovati, said his client and his family were “serene and cooperating” with investigators, adding that the alleged bribe amount was “too small for such a serious accusation.”
Francesco Compagna, who represents Marco Poggi, said Chiara’s parents were “disconcerted” by the latest developments. “There’s an attempt to relaunch an investigation that has so far only confirmed Stasi’s guilt,” he said. “It feels like a battle being fought with no holds barred.”
