Savona probed for banking usury

(ANSA) - Campobasso, July 20 - European Affairs Minister Paolo Savona is under investigation in a Campobasso probe into banking usury when he was a top manager at Italy's biggest bank Unicredit, sources said Friday. The probe involved another 22 people, judicial sources said.
    They include former banker Alessandro Profumo, now CEO of aerospace giant Leonardo, and Fabio Gallia, CEO and general manager of government bank Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP).
    A lawyer for alleged usury victim Engineering SrL, Luigi Iosa, told ANSA that the notification was "a formality" because bank chiefs have to be probed for their "role of guarantee and control".
    Asked whether Savona should resign, Deputy Premier Luigi Di Maio said "it's a probe we already knew about". Therefore, he said, Savona should not be forced to quit.
    The probe "is a formality towards him when he was at Unicredit", Di Maio said. "Having said that, as always, if we already knew about the investigation and we still chose Savona, we're going forward," said Di Maio.
    The alleged usury took place over 10 years and allegedly involved transactions at Rolo Banca 1473, which was subsequently taken over by Unicredit, judicial sources said.