Two Roman tax inspectors arrested for graft

(ANSA) - Rome, October 17 - Finance police on Friday arrested two Roman tax inspectors for allegedly seeking bribes. The inspectors were jailed, while a third man was placed under house arrest.
    Tax inspectors Giuseppe Costantini and Alberto Mario Gloria are accused of asking 50,000 euros to "fix" a tax audit to prevent dispute over a business income declaration. The third man, Costantini's cousin Antonio Beltri, allegedly acted as an intermediary. A restaurant owner in Rome told police that the two tax inspectors came to conduct a tax audit. After a set of preliminary checks, the inspectors allegedly told the restaurant owner that they were finding unreported revenue of roughly one million euros. Gloria then said the discrepancy could be reduced or eliminated with a payment of 25,000 euros, which was later raised to 50,000 euros, according to the arrest order.
    "Later investigations confirmed...that the episode was only the 'tip of the iceberg' of unfair conduct on the part of officers of the homeland revenue agency," wrote a judge on the arrest order.