Trial for corruption in private construction of Palermo City: nine convictions requested, here are the defendants.

Last Updated: June 22, 2024

Il processo per corruzione all'Edilizia privata del Comune di Palermo: chieste nove condanne, ecco chi sono gli imputati

The Palermo prosecutor’s office has requested sentences in the trial known as Janus Bifrons, on corruption in the private building department of the Municipality, during the years of the administration led by Leoluca Orlando. The trial involves politicians and officials from the municipal building department.

For the nine defendants, prosecutors Andrea Fusco and Giovanni Antoci have requested a total of sixty years in prison. The highest sentence, 8 years, was requested for the entrepreneur Giovanni Lupo, the hidden partner and de facto owner of Biocasa. Seven years is the request for the other builder Francesco La Corte, the former technical manager of the Municipality Mario Li Castri, the freelance architect Fabio Seminerio, the former manager of the Suap (one-stop shop for business activities) Giuseppe Monteleone, and the former city councilors Giovanni Lo Cascio, at the time leader of the Democratic Party and president of the Urban Planning committee, and Sandro Terrani, leader of Italia Viva and member of the Budget committee. Finally, six years are requested for architects Agostino Minnuto, director of works at a Biocasa construction site, and Giovanna D’Attardi, at the time partner of Monteleone, who allegedly obtained several contracts from the same company.

The investigation, which began in 2019 with arrests in 2020, stemmed from statements by the mafia informant from Belmonte Mezzagno, Filippo Salvatore Bisconti, also an architect involved in construction. The police investigated important transactions such as the development in Via Evangelista Di Blasi, where a variant was agreed to increase the number of housing units from 72 to 96; then the speeding up of the scheduling and approval of three building proposals derogating from the zoning plan, on which on November 7, 2019, the City Council nevertheless voted against. In both cases, there were alleged exchanges of favors, money, and professional assignments.

The trial is taking place before the third section of the Palermo court. The floor is now open to lawyers Giuseppe Gerbino, Giovanni Di Benedetto, Renato Canonico, Carmelo Nocera, Massimo Motisi, Rosanna Mangiapane, Marcello Montalbano, Giovanni Immordino, Enrico Sorgi, Antonino and Marco Zanghì, Sabina Lo Verso, Corrado Sinatra, Mario Potenzano, Cetty Di Lorenzo. Then comes the verdict.