Palermo prosecutors accuse Miccichè of using official car for personal purposes, house arrest ordered.

Last Updated: May 20, 2024

L’accusa dei pm di Palermo: «Auto blu per fini privati», divieto di dimora per Miccichè

The former president of the Sicilian Regional Assembly, Gianfranco Micciché, a regional deputy for Forza Italia, is under investigation by prosecutors in Palermo for embezzlement, fraud, and false certifications. The politician has been notified today of the precautionary measure of a residency ban in Cefalù. The parliamentarian is accused of using the car assigned to him for personal purposes instead of carrying out institutional functions. The judges also accuse Micciché of confirming false service missions declared by Maurizio Messina, an Assembly employee who acted as his driver. This fraud allegedly resulted in Messina receiving undeserved allowances amounting to 10,736 euros.

The preliminary investigating magistrate stated that Micciché had “an arbitrary and entirely personalized management of the car”: this is stated in the order imposing the residency obligation on the former president of the Assembly. According to the judge, the deputy used his driver, an employee of the Assembly, as a chauffeur, courier, errand boy, and transporter. The judge explained that Micciché would instruct the driver to make multiple trips between Palermo and Cefalù for various personal errands, diverting the institutional function of the vehicle.

Additionally, there are conversations where Micciché and his staff discuss concerns about investigations into the misuse of the official vehicle. The conversations reveal attempts to downplay the situation, but the judge sees them as further evidence of improper use of the car. The investigators also discovered instances where the car was used for personal errands, such as taking the cat to the vet or delivering gasoline to the politician’s wife.

The investigation also found that Micciché allegedly confirmed 76 service missions that were never carried out by his driver, resulting in reimbursements ranging from less than a hundred to almost 400 euros. This behavior led to the politician being charged with complicit fraud. The driver, Maurizio Messina, is also accused of falsely declaring his presence in service for 209 hours while actually being absent, earning around 10,000 euros unlawfully. Messina has been ordered to stay in Palermo and Monreale. Additionally, the judge ordered the seizure of 2,138 euros from the former president of the Assembly, representing the improper use of the official car.