Prosecutors in Salerno have
asked for Campania Governor Vincenzo De Luca to be sent to trial
for alleged forgery of a legal document in relation to an urban
renewal project in the port city during his tenure as mayor,
media reported Tuesday.
De Luca is reportedly one of 27 suspects for whom
prosecutors are requesting an indictment over possible
irregularities in planning permission for a huge new square.
Former executive councillors face the same charge as De
Luca, while technicians, city managers and entrepreneurs face
charges of bid-rigging and embezzlement.
The case concerns a eight-million-euro project for the
southern city's Santa Teresa district that involved demolishing
a hotel to make space for the piazza.
The project remains controversial and has been opposed by
environmentalists concerned over the impact on the bed of the
River Fusandola that flows through the area.
It will take at least another 16 months to complete.
De Luca, of the ruling Democratic Party (PD) served as
Salerno mayor from 2006 to 2015, when he was elected regional
governor.
Last month he was acquitted of graft charges on appeal in
the appointment of a project manager for the construction of a
rubbish-burning energy converter plant when he was mayor of
Salerno.
De Luca had been given a one-year suspended sentence at
the court of first instance, sparking an order, which he
successfully challenged, to suspend him from his new governor's
post under a 2011 anti-corruption law.
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