Lawyers representing the mayor of Venice, placed under house arrest Wednesday for alleged corruption linked to the construction of the lagoon city's massive anti-flood system, said that the charges are not credible. "The defence of Giorgio Orsoni expresses its concern...The allegations seem to lack credibility. The statements of accusation come from individuals who are already subject to other investigations," said a statement from his legal team. Orsoni, a member of Premier Matteo Renzi's center-left Democratic Party (PD), was among 35 people arrested in a probe into alleged corruption in contracts for the flood-protection system, which has cost 5.5 billion euros and has a completion deadline of 2016. The suspected charges in the case include bribery, extortion and money laundering. A total of 40 million euros have been seized. Veneto Infrastructure Councillor Renato Chisso was arrested too, while around 100 people are under investigation, judicial sources said. Prosecutors also requested the arrest of former Veneto governor and ex-minister Giancarlo Galan, a Senator for ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (FI) party. The Upper House will have to decide whether to authorise the arrest.
Judicial sources said he received at least 800,000 euros in illicit funds from Consorzio Venezia Nuova, a consortium of private and government entities responsible for safeguarding the Venetian lagoon.
Galan was at the helm of the region around Venice from 1995 to 2010 before short stints as agriculture and then culture minister between 2010 and 2011 in Berlusconi's third and final executive. The MOSE investigation has been in the works for roughly three years, sparked by another probe into alleged bribery linked to road work along the A4 highway. The head of the company involved, Lino Brentan, made a plea bargain in that case. On Wednesday he was among those arrested in the MOSE case. In the highway probe, police said they uncovered at least 20 million euros in slush funds in San Marino and Switzerland, allegedly at the hands of Piergiorgio Baita, a former manager of Mantovani, the principal construction firm involved in MOSE, as well as Consorzio Venezia Nuova. The former president of the consortium, Giovanni Mazzacurati, was also placed under house arrest Wednesday, accused of being the "grand puppeteer" of the alleged scheme. Mazzacurati left his position last July after he was among 14 people arrested for alleged contract-rigging regarding MOSE. Also linked to the current probe, but not under investigation, is Altero Matteoli, a former Berlusconi transport minister.
The probe is the latest in a series of investigations into alleged corruption to have hit parties from many parts of Italy's political spectrum and contributed to growing disenchantment with the ruling class.
The MOSE project, which in Italian is a play on the name for Moses, has been contested since its inception in 1984.
Environmentalists say the series of retractable dykes will interrupt the natural ecosystem, and some experts believe it will fall short of protecting the city despite the billions poured into it. Italian heritage and conservation body Italia Nostra says MOSE will ultimately be "incapable" of halting dangerously high water, such as the infamous 1966 flood that damaged buildings and famous artwork, and will have to be demolished soon after it is complete.
Today, floods routinely reach knee-high levels, flooding stores and ground-floor apartments.
The causes are both natural and man-made.
Decades of pumping groundwater caused significant damage to the delicate foundation before the practice was called off.
Weather experts say the high-water threat has been increasing in recent years as heavier rains have hit northern Italy, probably due to climate change.
Other possible explanations for the phenomenon include the sea floor rising as a result of incoming silt and gas extraction in the sea off Venice undermining the islands.
According to a recent study, plate tectonics are also to blame as the Adriatic plate is sliding beneath the Apennine Mountains, causing the area to drop in elevation.
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