A Florence court on Tuesday
ordered that Ercole Incalza be held in custody as the
investigation continues into an alleged corruption scandal.
The probe centres on contracts issued by the infrastructure
ministry where Incalza was a senior bureaucrat.
Maurizio Lupi resigned as infrastructure minister last week
over the affair, although he has not been charged with any
crime.
Prosecutors allege Incalza, a public-works official for
seven governments, oversaw "systemic corruption" on a massive
scale.
He was arrested more than a week ago, along with his aide
Sandro Pacella and businessmen Stefano Perotti and Francesco
Cavallo in the probe that saw more than 50 people including
politicians placed under investigation for suspected kickbacks
that inflated costs by as much as 40%.
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