Police on Tuesday seized millions
of euros linked to Giovanni Berneschi, the ex-president of
mid-sized Italian bank Carige arrested on suspicion of
involvement in a massive fraud.
Police said 5,000,000 euros were seized from accounts in
his name as well as that of his daughter-in-law Francesca
Amisano and former chief executive officer of the Carige Vita
Nuova subsidiary Fernando Menconi.
Last week Berneschi was moved from house arrest to jail
after he contravened conditions that he was not to have contacts
outside his home and family, authorities said.
Prosecutors were reportedly concerned that that could lead
to a possible tampering with evidence.
Berneschi, who was Carige's president until last year, was
arrested along with Menconi and real-estate businessman Ernesto
Cavallini.
Police said they believe Berneschi, 77, was the ringleader
of a scam involving purchases made at inflated prices of stakes
in companies headed by accomplices, which allegedly made it
possible for 21 million euros to be taken out of Italy into
Switzerland between 2006 and 2009.
They suspect that part of this money was used to buy
properties in Switzerland in the name of senior figures at
Carige, a mid-sized lender based in Genoa with about 1,000
branches and two million clients.
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