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Italian police raid public procurement agency in corruption probe

Xinhua, April 13, 2017 Adjust font size:

Italian police raided the headquarters of Consip, a state-owned agency managing public procurements in the capital Rome Thursday, local media reported.

Prosecutors in Rome ordered the operation as part of a corruption probe into a public contract worth some 2.7 billion euros (2.87 billion U.S. dollars).

Finance police and military Carabinieri police acquired all the records related to the major tender, which was said to be the largest of its kind in Europe by amount, according to Ansa news agency.

As such, the investigation would now focus on all 18 lots in which the public procurement was divided, Ansa added citing judicial sources.

Since December, the probe has involved Italian Sports Minister Luca Lotti, who was suspected of allegedly tipping off the managing director of Consip about the investigation.

Prosecutors also investigated the father of former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, Tiziano, for suspected influence peddling to make sure one lot of the huge contract was given to a businessman friend.

Alfredo Romeo, another entrepreneur allegedly known by Tiziano Renzi, was arrested on charges of corruption on March 1 for allegedly paying some 100,000 euros in bribes to a Consip executive over a period of 3 years.

Both Lotti -- who served as cabinet undersecretary in Renzi's government -- and Matteo Renzi denied any wrongdoing. Tiziano Renzi also denied having any connection with the entrepreneur arrested.

The investigation took a drastic turn this week, after it was revealed that a police officer wrongly ascribed to Tiziano Renzi a phrase pronounced in a wiretapped phone conversation, which referred to the public contract and the businessman suspected of corruption.

The officer is a captain with the armed police's special environment crime unit. He was put under investigation for alleged false statements, and would play no more part in the probe, according to Ansa.

A no-confidence motion against Lotti was filed by opposition Five Star Movement in the senate on March 15, and was rejected with 161 votes against and 52 in favor. Endit