Italy’s regional president and ex-port boss arrested for bribery

Ligurian President Giovanni Toti, a right-wing former MEP who was close to the late Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi but is no longer associated with the party, has been placed under house arrest, Genoa prosecutors said in a statement.

The 55-year-old is accused of accepting 74,100 euros ($79,700) in funds for his election campaign between December 2021 and March 2023 from prominent local businessmen, Aldo Spinelli and his son Roberto Spinelli, in return for various favors.

These reportedly included an attempt to privatize a public beach and accelerate the 30-year extension of the lease of a port terminal in Genoa to a company controlled by the Spinelli family, approved in December 2021.

Toti, who took office in 2015 and was re-elected in 2020, later visited the financial crime police offices in Genoa, presumably for questioning.

His lawyer Stefano Savi told reporters he was “calm at the moment and confident that he can explain everything.”

He said Toti was not considering resigning and insisted the facts raised by prosecutors were “within the scope of legitimate administrative activity.”

The investigation targeted a total of 10 people, including Paolo Emilio Signorini, who resigned last year as head of Genoa’s port authority, one of the largest in Italy.

He is accused of accepting benefits from Aldo Spinelli, including cash, 22 stays at a luxury hotel in Monte Carlo – including casino chips, massages and beauty treatments – and luxury items, including a €7,200 Cartier bracelet.

The ex-port boss, who was jailed after his arrest, was also promised a job worth 300,000 euros a year when his term ended, prosecutors said.

In return, Signorini is said to have granted Aldo Spinelli favors and, among other things, worked to speed up the renewal of the family’s port concession.

The Spinellis themselves are accused of corruption, Aldo – a former president of the Genoa and Livorno football clubs – was placed under house arrest and his son Roberto was temporarily banned from conducting his business.

After leaving the port of Genoa, Signorini was appointed CEO of the energy company Iren on August 30th.

In a statement, Iren said it was not affected by the allegations itself, but had called an extraordinary board meeting to approve the “temporary transfer” of Signorini’s powers.

In a separate part of the investigation, Toti’s chief of staff Matteo Cozzani was placed under house arrest and charged with “electoral corruption” that facilitated the activities of the Sicilian Cosa Nostra mafia.

As regional coordinator in the 2020 local elections, he is accused of promising jobs and social housing in return for the votes of at least 400 members of the Sicilian community in Genoa.

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