Raffaele Cantone, the head of
Italy's anti-corruption authority, said Monday that he was
"astonished" after Naples prosecutors said at the weekend that
they were probing alleged fraud by officials working for NGOs
dealing with the migrant emergency.
Cantone called on civil society and the professional world
"to not entrench itself behind a corporate mentality".
"There needs to be a united effort of all parts of civil
society, which, too often in the best case scenario, have simply
looked on, and in some cases have been complicit in illicit
activity," Cantone said.
"If civil society doesn't do its part, it's hard to think
that we can do it," he said.
Cantone's comments follow the Saturday arrest of Alfonso De
Martino, president of the non-profit Un'Ala di Riserva, accused
of stealing more than one million euros intended for migrant aid
and investing the money in property and phone cards.
De Martino's partner Rosa Carnevale was placed on house
arrest, and two people associated Catholic aid organization
Caritas in Teggiano Policastro, including Father Vincenzo
Federico, are under investigation for graft.
Caritas in Teggiano Policastro, located in the province of
Salerno, manages four immigrant reception centers and
investigators said it's "likely" they are tied into the scandal
that brought the Saturday arrests.
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