Rome garbage scandal trial to be fast-tracked

(ANSA) - Rome, April 1 - Magistrates said Tuesday they will fast-track a trial of seven suspects, including a former official from the Lazio region, charged in an alleged waste-disposal scandal around Rome.
    The owner of the Malagrotta landfill outside the Eternal City, Manlio Cerroni, and the former governor of the Lazio region, Bruno Landi, are among those to face trial June 5 for alleged conspiracy to traffic waste.
    Several other local businessmen and regional officials were arrested in the investigation and about 18 million euros in assets seized as part of the probe.
    Serious problems in the handling of waste in the Lazio region led the European Union to announce last year that it was taking Italy before the European Court of Justice for failing to resolve the trash situation.
    The correct rubbish treatment procedures were not implemented in landfills including Malagrotta and elsewhere in Lazio, according to the EU.
    In 2012, rubbish started piling up in Rome's streets in a crisis reminiscent of the problems Naples has had in recent years due to lack of landfill areas around the southern city.