Covid, Viminale report: Recovery fund resources targeted by the mafias

The Viminale palace, Rome (Ansa)

• Conte: "Accelerate verification, no ultimatum. Final ok to Recovery in mid-February"

• Recovery Fund.

  Conte: stop delays, the credibility of the country is at stake

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06 January 2021 "In the current pandemic phase

on the undue perception of the relevant and diversified economic support measures ordered by the government and, predictably, on the future resources that will be guaranteed under the Recovery Fund". 

The alarm is raised by the fourth report of the permanent monitoring and analysis body on the risk of infiltration into the economy by organized crime of the mafia type, chaired by the prefect Vittorio Rizzi. 

"The spread of the coronavirus - reads the report - has impacted significantly on the economy in the light of the restrictive measures taken to stem the epidemiological emergency, which led to the closure of most of the activities and the drastic reduction in consumption. 

In this scenario, the criminal groups, in order to seize the investment opportunities offered by the evolution and persistence of the pandemic, have turned their interests not only towards the aforementioned economic sectors, but also towards the operators most damaged by the social distancing measures adopted in the lockdown phase, such as the catering supply chain, hotel reception and tourist offer ". 

Precisely with regard to mafia crime, recent investigations confirm the attempt to: "

illegally

measures to support the economy, in ways that are entirely similar to those adopted by the more general economic-financial crime (falsification of tax documents, instrumental use of paper companies, involvement of legal and accounting experts) ","

, from the health facilities concerned, the payment of services rendered by neighboring companies through corruptive conduct ","

sanitation services affecting tourist, hotel and commercial structures " .

Also strongly felt "the risk that organized crime attempts to 'accredit' itself with

to impose the use of forms of welfare through financial support measures, with a view to safeguarding business continuity and then taking over assets owners or control, or exercising oppressive forms of usury even towards the weakest segments of the population, due to the liquidity and employment crisis ".