(by Stefania Fumo).
Premier Matteo Renzi on Wednesday
dismissed speculation that elements in the judiciary could be
working to undermine his government after Tuesday's arrest of
the mayor of Lodi - the latest of several recent corruption
cases to tarnish the image of his centre-left Democratic Party
(PD).
"With respect to the (talk of a) plot, I say 'what are you
talking about?'," Renzi told RTL radio. "There's an ongoing
investigation, and I have total faith in the magistrates".
Simone Uggetti was suspended as Lodi mayor on Tuesday after
his arrest on suspicion of bid-rigging on tenders for public
swimming pools. He denied any wrongdoing, saying he "acted for
the good" of the northern city, and then suspended himself from
the PD to protect "the image of the party he represents", his
lawyer Pietro Gabriele Roveda said.
Also on Wednesday Giuseppe Fanfani - a PD-nominated member
of the Supreme Council of Magistrates (CSM), which is the
judiciary's self-governing body - said he wants the Lodi probe
looked into, arguing the actions taken against Uggetti were
"unjustified and excessive".
Magistrates union ANM swiftly replied that Fanfani was
guilty of "undue interference", after which the CSM member
backed down, saying he would not, for now, request a CSM probe
into Lodi prosecutors "unless new events take place".
Renzi said his government would not comment on Fanfani's
move, saying only "there are rules of the game to be respected"
and that his position of respect towards the judiciary and of
hoping for swift trials "has not changed".
Also on Wednesday, it emerged that Lodi finance police are
investigating a third suspect in the case that put Uggetti and
Lodi lawyer Cristiano Marino into preliminary detention.
The alleged third man is Luigi Pasquini, a restaurateur who
is also president of the Wasken Boys sporting association, which
was awarded a contract to manage the city's public swimming
pools.
Uggetti was put behind bars because he allegedly tried to
reformat computers in order to make compromising correspondence
about a city pool management contract disappear, making him an
evidence-tampering risk. Investigators believe the contract was
steered to a specific company.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
