Giuseppe Busia, the president of
Italy's anti-corruption agency ANAC, was at the centre of a
political storm on Thursday after criticising the government's
new rules for public contracts, with Infrastructure Minister and
Deputy Premier Matteo Salvini's League saying his position has
become untenable.
Busia picked fault with the scope officials and local
politicians will have in some cases to give a contract to a firm
without going through a tender process.
He said it will be possible to give a contract to "your cousin
or someone who voted for you" up to the threshold of 150,000
euros.
The new procurement code, designed by Salvini, seeks to simplify
the rules for the assignment of public contracts, streamlining
procedures for documentation with the help of digital
mechanisms.
" Busia's comments about the Salvini code are serious,
unquantifiable and misinformative," said Stefano Locatelli, the
League's chief on the issue of local authorities.
"If you talk like that about thousands of mayors and you think
that they are all corrupt, you cannot stay in the role.
"Busia's job is to oversee, but he has certified that he is
biased, not neutral, and, therefore, not credible".
Busia stressed on Thursday that he did not consider Italy's
mayors to be corrupt, describing them as "heroes, especially in
small towns.
"They carry out an essential function, they are paid very little
and take on great responsibilities," he added.
Sources at Salvini's transport and infrastructure ministry
expressed "great satisfaction and relief at the clear correction
of course by the ANAC president" in the light of thse comments.
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