The military of the provincial command of the Guardia di Finanza in Catania executed a real precautionary measure ordered by the Court of Catania, in the context of a review, which concerns the preventive seizure of the amount of €397,322.82, equivalent to the profit from the aggravated fraud committed by a well-known entrepreneur from Palagonia. The measure, already ordered in 2023 by the GIP of the Court of Caltagirone, had been subject to release following a formal appeal made by the suspect.
The seizure carried out by the finance officers of the Caltagirone company is the result of a complex investigation coordinated by the local Public Prosecutor’s Office, thanks to which the military discovered a fraudulent mechanism aimed at circumventing the regulations governing the so-called Bonus Culture 18app. This benefit, granted by the Ministry of Culture, consists of the distribution of vouchers worth €500 that can be used by newly eighteen-year-olds to purchase goods or services aimed at promoting the development of culture and knowledge of cultural heritage.
The investigation conducted by the Guardia di Finanza in Caltagirone, also carried out through the examination of copious accounting documentation, revealed the existence of an illicit agreement between the entrepreneur and the young voucher holders, which allowed them to purchase goods different from those provided for by the regulations. This complicity between the parties would have allowed the young people to purchase items such as telecommunications products and tablets, with a higher purchase value than the assigned voucher, and the entrepreneur to obtain the illicit advantage of an immediate and total reimbursement of the nominal amount of the coupon, equal to 500 euros, provided by the Ministry of Culture.
The finance officers of Caltagirone, through the testimonial evidence acquired from the beneficiaries, would have confirmed the involvement of about a thousand young people throughout the national territory, who became aware of the illicit scheme through word of mouth. For these facts, the finance officers, in the current phase of the proceedings where the parties have not yet been engaged in a debate, have reported the entrepreneur for the crime of aggravated fraud for the obtaining of public grants, while each young person has been cited for the administrative violation for the improper use of the voucher.
The profit from the fraud committed against the State, subject to the measure, allowed for the seizure of real estate properties both owned by the entrepreneur and in his material possession, even through third parties. The detailed investigations carried out by the finance officers in the preliminary phase before the execution of the measure, indeed allowed to link the availability of residential and commercial real estate properties to the suspect, previously sold by him solely for the purpose of avoiding possible seizure.
The activity carried out by the Guardia di Finanza in the provincial command of Catania to safeguard public spending highlights the constant commitment of the corps in protecting the integrity of the national, regional, and local budgets.
Palagonia, truffa sul Bonus Cultura: sequestrati 400 mila euro ad un imprenditore
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