'I'll give Siri 30,000' - Arata wiretap

(ANSA) - Rome, July 22 - Businessman Paolo Arata, allegedly acting as go between for a Sicilian wind farm king linked to Cosa Nostra's no.1 fugitive, is heard on a wiretap saying he would give former transport undersecretary Armando Siri of the League 30,000 euros to frame an amendment in favour of renewable energy, police said Monday. "I'll give him 30,000 euros so that it's clear between us," Arata allegedly says on the September 2018 wiretap.
    Arata, formerly an MP for Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia (FI) party and a former League energy consultant, was allegedly acting on behalf of Vito Nicastri, a Sicilian wind farm entrepreneur belived to be one of the key bankrollers of fugitive mafia kingpin Matteo Messina Denaro.
    Nicastri and his son Manlio are implicated in the probe, as is Siri.
    Siris stepped down as transport and infrastructure undersecretary after being placed under investigation for suspected corruption in April.
    Despite this, he served as advisor to League leader Matteo Salvini in budget talks with unions and employers last week, among other things outlining the League's plans for a flat tax.
    photo: Siri