Emilio Spaziante, a retired
general in Italy's finance police, and Roberto Meneguzzo, former
chief executive officer of Palladium Financial, were sentenced
to prison terms Wednesday for their parts in the Venice MOSE
corruption case.
Spaziante received a four-year term while Meneguzzo was
sentenced to two-and-a-half years in prison after the pair
reached a plea-bargain deal with prosecutors.
As well, the court ordered confiscation of 500,000 euros
after finding the two men guilty on corruption charges.
According to the indictment, that amount was paid in a
bribe to Spaziante, who was one of 35 people, including former
mayor Giorgio Orsoni and ex-Veneto governor Giancarlo Galan,
involved in the initial investigation.
Galan recently reached a plea-bargain deal including a
sentence of two years and 10 months in prison and a fine of 2.6
million euros.
His lawyers said at the time that they still may appeal.
Prosecutors said the case involved the alleged funneling of
25 million euros in taxpayer money to political campaigns and
away from the MOSE project to build a system of retractable
dikes.
Spaziante eventually received half a million euros which he
allegedly split with two of the other people arrested, according
to prosecutors.
A second episode also involved a promise of 2.5 million
euros if Spaziante helped to ease tax inspections and criminal
probes.
Prosecutors said Meneguzzo became involved when money was
exchanged in the Milan offices of Palladio Financial.
Last week, the Italian National Anti-corruption Authority
(ANAC) launched a procedure to ask the Roman prefecture to
appoint a commissioner for the consortium Venezia Nuova, the
company in charge of building the MOSE flood control system in
the Venetian lagoon.
The consortium was given time to present a defense.
Earlier in October, Mauro Fabris, president of the
consortium Venezia Nuova, said the project was respecting the
established time-frame, despite some delays on new tenders, and
that the consortium was working to ensure transparency to the
next MOSE phases.
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