The Naples Prosecutor has registered eight people in the register of suspects in the framework of an investigation into weapons called Colombiagate.
It is an attempt to sell Italian-made military ships and aircraft to the Colombian government. Specifically, the Alenia Aermacchi M-346 Master aircraft manufactured by the Leonardo group, along with corvettes, small submarines and shipyard equipment manufactured by Fincantieri.
The value of the agreement exceeded 4,000 million euros.
The suspects are charged with a crime of aggravated international corruption. They are under the scrutiny of the researchers: the former president of the Council of Ministers Massimo D’Alema; his former accountant Gherardo Gardo; the former CEO of Leonardo Alessandro Profumo; the former CEO of Fincantieri’s warships division Giuseppe Giordo.
Searches have been carried out at the homes and offices of the four suspects, as reported by the news agency “Ansa”. In addition to them, Umberto Claudio Bonavita, Francesco Amato, Emanuele Caruso and Giancarlo Mazzotta are also being investigated.
According to a summary reconstruction of the Colombiagate case: two individuals who worked as international cooperation advisers in the Colombian Foreign Ministry had managed to contact the former president of the D’Alema Council of Ministers. Both advisers were considered key figures with “resumes with positions of international importance”, who would have positioned themselves as “informal mediators” in relations with the corporate management of Leonardo and Fincantieri.
To close the deal, 40 million euros (out of a total commission of 80 million) were offered to Colombian public officials, including Edgardo Fierro Flores (head of the working group for the presentation of opportunities in Colombia), Marta Lucía Ramírez (Minister of Foreign Affairs and Vice President of Colombia), Germán Monroy Ramírez and Francisco Joya Prieto (delegates of the Colombian Senate commission) and others pending “to be identified”.
Investigations continue to find out the scope of the bribes and the people related to the corruption attempt.
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