Newly elected Sicilian regional assembly deputy Cateno De Luca was put under house arrest on Wednesday in relation to a probe into alleged tax evasion, sources said. De Luca, a member of the centrist UCD party, was among 70 regional councillors elected in Sunday's election won by new centre-right Governor Nello Musumeci.
Carmelo Satra, the president of small-business association FENAPI, was also put under house arrest in an operation conducted by Carabinieri and finance police to execute warrants issued by Messina prosecutors. Investigators suspect they were involved in a sophisticated system to avoid direct and indirect taxes via false invoices.
The evasion alleged amounted to around 750,000 euros. De Luca said he was confident the probe would end in nothing.
"I already knew that they would have arrested me... because in certain environments they had warned me!" he said on Facebook. "I say that this case will end like the other 14 - with an acquittal".
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