Millions seized from arrested Carige ex-president

(ANSA) - Genoa, June 3 - Police on Tuesday seized millions of euros linked to Giovanni Berneschi, the ex-president of mid-sized Italian bank Carige arrested on suspicion of involvement in a massive fraud.
    Police said 5,000,000 euros were seized from accounts in his name as well as that of his daughter-in-law Francesca Amisano and former chief executive officer of the Carige Vita Nuova subsidiary Fernando Menconi. Last week Berneschi was moved from house arrest to jail after he contravened conditions that he was not to have contacts outside his home and family, authorities said.
    Prosecutors were reportedly concerned that that could lead to a possible tampering with evidence.
    Berneschi, who was Carige's president until last year, was arrested along with Menconi and real-estate businessman Ernesto Cavallini.
    Police said they believe Berneschi, 77, was the ringleader of a scam involving purchases made at inflated prices of stakes in companies headed by accomplices, which allegedly made it possible for 21 million euros to be taken out of Italy into Switzerland between 2006 and 2009.
    They suspect that part of this money was used to buy properties in Switzerland in the name of senior figures at Carige, a mid-sized lender based in Genoa with about 1,000 branches and two million clients.