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19 November 2020 False non-profit organizations for the transport of hemodialysis patients in Palermo actually hid business activities managed by offenders.

The investigation by the Palermo prosecutor and the finance police has lifted the veil on the patient transport fraud on behalf of the ASP.

The financiers carried out an order for the application of precautionary measures issued by the investigating judge against six people accused, among other things, of forgery, conspiracy, fraud against the state and fraud in public supplies.

The investigating judge ordered the preventive seizure of the entire company assets of two Palermo voluntary associations in the health-care sector, the Emergency Leader Onlus Volunteer Association (AVEL) and the Confraternity of Mercy, which were entrusted to a judicial administrator.



Pietro Corrao, 63, Saverio Marchese, 55 and Salvatore Scavone, 60, ended up in prison.

Beniamino Cusimano, 75, Concetta Teresi 52, and Marilena Scalia 48, under house arrest.

Corrao, Marchese, Scavone and Cusimano are accused of forgery and criminal association aimed at committing forgery crimes, Teresi for criminal association, fraud against the State and fraud in public supplies and finally Scalia for fraud against the State and fraud in public supplies.   



According to the investigations carried out by the economic-financial police unit of the yellow flames, Avel, which carried out the hemodialysis transport service on behalf of the Palermo ASP, which was to be a voluntary association, was a business activity, managed in fact by suspects for serious crimes (drug trafficking aggravated by mafia facilitation).

Behind the fake Onlus was a company with shifts and wages instead of reimbursements, managed by Corrao and Marchese.



To obtain the release of the anti-mafia certification, the suspects had made false papers, formally attributing the role of president to Cusimano, who has a clean record.

"During the stipulation and renewal of the agreements with the ASP - says the Gdf - the suspects presented false certifications concerning the nature of the organization as a non-profit organization and the attestation that the latter was administered by subjects immune to criminal records, thanks which Avel was able to access to public conventions ".



The investigations revealed "the existence of a real 'cartel' between the representatives of seven Palermo associations that carried out the hemodialysis transport service on behalf of the local Asp, headed by the representatives of the Confraternity of Mercy".

"The illicit pact - says the GDF - concretely implemented through the creation of chats on whatsapp, provided that the various participants agreed to refuse the 'collective' transport of patients, making themselves available only to the most profitable 'single transport' of the sick, thus deceiving the ASP and causing damage to the public coffers ".