Lodi probe rocks PD

(by Stefania Fumo).
    (ANSA) - Rome, May 4 - 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.