Did you put 500? Put 700 on it… put on 80… put on 300 euros, here put on 280 euros… and here in December put on 170″. It is the Riace model, the management of migrants according to mayor Mimmo Lucano. The Avs MEP, re-elected to the Calabrian municipality, sentenced at first instance to 13 years in prison for the management of migrants and acquitted on appeal of the most serious charges, is now in the hands of the Supreme Court, following the appeal of the Prosecutor’s Office which aims to demonstrate how the money for the latter was stolen. So much so that they speak of “serious irregularities in reporting, relating to the complex mechanism of the provision of public contributions” and of “fraudulent intentions” which are based on the intercepted dialogues, “from which the central role in the Lucan affair unequivocally emerges”.
In the appeal, there are conversations in which the defendants “refer to the need to also include purchases and expenses not pertinent to the institutional purposes established by law in the reason relating to the reception and integration project in favor of migrants”. And to strengthen the “serious irregularities in the administration of public affairs revealed by the inspection report of the Prefecture of Reggio Calabria” in the management of the migrant emergency, the magistrates highlight “the concrete data from which to deduce profiles of criminal responsibility on the part of the administration of the Municipality of Riace and in particular to the figure of the mayor Lucano”, who would have liquidated the funds to associations “with direct fiduciary call with personal and discretionary selection criteria, and not with the adoption of a public tender”, we read . According to the prosecutor, Lucano’s role emerges “in the illegitimate management of the procedure envisaged for the disbursement of the ministerial contribution”. Also weighing heavily is “the absolute generic nature of the invoicing for the purchase of goods, which suggests that over-invoicing exists”. As proof, some wiretaps considered relevant for the «forgery and its instrumentality in the broader criminal plan of the Lucanian area which has set up a real “system” to avoid losing the sums already spent». In a conversation on 8 September 2017, Lucano “proposed adopting a system so as not to completely lose the economy, or rather not having to lose the sums already spent on job grants”, we read in the appeal, in which, to demonstrate the fictitious nature of occasional services, Ierinò’s proposal is reported: «You have to find people who, even if you make them the bank transfer, the money returns to Città Futura», an association chaired by Ferdinando Antonio Capone, considered the operational arm and “the front man ” of the mayor. Lucano replied: «Yes but how do we… do this operation… the payments? They want to keep the money too.” Ierinò and Lucano hypothesize using trusted people, not related to the mayor, to prevent him from being attacked. “They’ll bomb you… if they find out.”
The dialogue on 13 September between Lucano, Ierinò and Jerry Tornese thus becomes relevant, which took place after the visit of the Prefecture officials and before the presentation of the Extraordinary Reception Centers report for the second half of 2016, presented significantly late. Ierinò suggests having the fuel cards signed a year later as “justifying documents”. Lucano also indicates to Ierinò the costs to be included, «determined “flat rate” based on the number of guests present». Random figures, according to the judges, reported in the report. And so Lucano gives the numbers to recover the reception funds: «Here you have to put… then there’s Jerry’s invoice, now let’s see how much it is… here you put the fuel… Did you put 500? We put 2,500 in total… and minus July it’s five months…”. Ierinò reminds the mayor that “in August there were 40 people” in the centres. «And put 700 on it and… on the others you put 300, 200… on the month of July and August you put it like this and then 200, 300, just to… do you understand… was it here in August? And leave 500 euros.” Ierinò advises: «In September we should spend more». And Lucano: «Another 500 euros… Give him 300, here give him 280. It’s better… and here in December give him 170 euros. Take the total of these months that I have marked…. And it comes out 80, 500, 1,000, 1,080, 300, 280.”
For the prosecution, the dialogue would be proof not only of the manipulation of the report, but also of the full awareness of the Avs MEP. Finally, the story of the fictitious invoice of the Welcome association, included in the statement by virtue of an agreement not yet stipulated in 2017, which «confirms the consummation. Sentenced in the first instance to thirteen years, he is acquitted by the Court of Appeal of the conduct of the ideological false”. Lucano, on 12 July, complained: “I’ve done the calculations, it’s too high. 42 thousand euros come out.” And Tornese: «Since the reporting is monthly… start from July. It’s been six months… we do the services I told you about… bureaucratic procedures, consultations with psychologists and social workers…”. The mayor is worried about exceeding the figure per migrant: “Aren’t we going outside the 35 euros?”.
The interlocutor assures: “No, no… even 6 thousand euros for 6 months… that’s 42 thousand euros.” And Lucano: «Once we report them… we send them, for the reporting to be valid, however, must there also be the transfer of checks?». Tornese replies: «We will invoice you… when the Prefecture sends the money… make a bank transfer». The mayor then calls Ierinò: «Jerry has studied a system here». Which Tornese explains better: «From July 1st until December 31st, every month, we could issue an invoice for services for the guests benefiting from the Cas project… to the Città Futura association». For the mayor, the only solution: “If we don’t… don’t alter the matter, we’ll never get out of here.” The amount, the investigators certify, was then increased to 8 thousand euros per month. Because «I did the calculation, I need another 25 thousand euros… if (laughter) we can get them… I don’t know! You see'”, said Lucano. Eventually the false invoice was issued for 62,220 euros of funds intended for migrants.
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For the defense attorney: ”In light of the recent developments, how might the community’s support for Mayor Lucano influence the perception of his alleged actions, and what role do you believe public sentiment plays in his defense strategy?
Thank you for your interest in interviewing our guests about the recent developments surrounding the mayor of Riace, Mimmo Lucano, and his management of migrants. We have secured interviews with two experts on the matter: the spokesperson for the prosecution team and the defense attorney representing Mayor Lucano.
Our first question is directed towards the prosecution’s spokesperson: “Can you please provide an overview of the charges against Mayor Lucano and how the recent intercepted conversations have contributed to the case against him?”
Our second question is for the defense attorney: “Mayor Lucano has been praised for his humanitarian efforts towards migrants in the past. In what ways do you believe his intentions were genuine, and how do you plan to defend him against these serious allegations?”
For the third section of the interview, we will discuss the involvement of associations in the management of migrants’ funds. Our question for the prosecution’s spokesperson is: “What evidence do you have indicating that the mayor collaborated with these associations to manipulate funding reports, and how did these connections contribute to the overall case against him?”
Our question for the defense attorney is: “Alternatively, could these collaborations be seen as evidence of the mayor’s dedication to fostering relationships with local groups working towards a common cause? How will you defend against these accusations?”
we want to dig deeper into the specifics of the alleged fraudulent activities mentioned in the article. The prosecution spokesperson will address the following question: “What makes the use of false invoices and manipulated reporting particularly damning in this case, and how does it highlight the severity of the mayor’s actions?”
In turn, the defense attorney will be asked: “What are some possible explanations for the appearance of false invoices and manipulated reporting? How could these actions be interpreted in a less severe light, if at all?”
