Lucio D'Alessandro, the
rector of Naples Suor Orsola Benincasa university, is under
investigation for allegedly helping the son of former minister
Ortensio Zecchino get a research position at the institute,
several newspapers reported on Wednesday.
Zecchino and his son Francesco are not being probed,
according to the reports.
The news came two days after seven university teachers
were arrested by Florence finance police in relation
to a probe into the alleged rigging of exams to qualify as
lecturers.
Another 22 people have been barred from holding academic
positions for 12 months in relation to the probe and 59 people
are under investigation in total, including two-time former
cabinet minister Augusto Fantozzi.
The probe was triggered by an alleged attempt by some
teachers to persuade a researcher who was a candidate in an exam
to qualify as a tax-law teacher to withdraw the bid in favour of
a less qualified candidate.
The first researcher was allegedly promised a pass in the
next exam.
Fantozzi, 77, served as economy and finance minister in the
1995-'96 Lamberto Dini government.
He went on to serve as foreign-trade minister for Romano
Prodi's 1996-98 administration.
The seven arrested teachers were placed under house arrest.
They are: Fabrizio Amatucci, of Naples' Federico II
University; Giuseppe Maria Cipolla, of the University of
Cassino; Adriano di Pietro of Bologna University; Alessandro
Giovannini of the University of Siena; Valerio Ficari of the
University of Rome 2; Giuseppe Zizzo of the Carlo Cattaneo
University of Castellanza in Varese; and Guglielmo Fransoni of
the University of Foggia.
Education, University and Research Minister Valeria Fedeli
said she wanted to "get to the bottom" of the case.
She said a sort of code of conduct to combat nepotism and
corruption in Italy's universities would be launched by the end
of October.
Fedeli said her ministry had been working on it for months
with Italy's anti-corruption authority, ANAC, led by former top
anti-mafia prosecutor Raffaele Cantone, one of the targets on a
hit list of the notorious Casalesi clan of the Neapolitan
Camorra mafia.
"The draft has been ready since the start of July," Fedeli
told reporters.
"It's now at the consultation stage and we absolutely want to
wind it up by the end of October".
Fedeli added that this latest instance of corruption was
related to university lecturing qualification procedures in 2012
and 2013.
On Wednesday Fedeli said those who report university
corruption should be held up as "examples" rather than being
discouraged.
Several probes over the years have highlighted high levels of
nepotism and corruption in Italian university departments, whose
powerful heads are known as 'baroni' (barons).
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
