Audit court head warns of excess laws

(ANSA) - Rome, November 20 - The head of Italy's audit court Raffaele Squitieri warned Thursday that the country's excessive number of laws creates opportunities for corruption.
    Projects such as next year's Milan Expo world fair and the government's Unblock Italy public works measure created a paradox, he added, because a decree was needed to push through the maze of existing laws.
    During a lecture on corruption, Squitieri said that public contracting is very heavily regulated because of concerns about abuse, given the large amounts of money usually involved.
    But that heavy regulation can create enormous tangles that can lead to other kinds of impediments, he added.
    "The world of public procurement is among the most regulated by the law and (public) works often do not start because of too many appeals...or because (companies) cannot comply with the huge packages of laws," he said.