Milan’s Court of Review, Tribunal del Riesame, has thrown out accusations of corruption in the urban planning probe involving real estate investment firm Coima, its CEO Manfredi Catella, and other companies Castello and Kyrialos.
Investigators alleged that corruption took place with Coima and its CEO awarding development projects, subject to assessment of the landscape commission of the municipality of Milan, to architect Alessandro Scandurra, one of the members of the commission. Scandurra, according to the initial accusation, used his commission membership to get approval for the projects for Coima.
After reviewing the case, the court found that arguments of the investigation conducted by the preliminary investigations judge were not convincing and that the essential elements of the contested crime were not identified. The origin of a corrupt pact had not been adequately investigated, the court said in the document reviewing the case.
Milan prosecutors investigated several individuals and entities, including Coima, Castello and Kryalos, as part of a wider inquiry into alleged misconduct related to the city’s urban planning management.
Investigators looked in particular into the Pirellino project, approved by the landscape commission, with corruption taking place, according to the preliminary investigation judge, through a false invoice issued by Scanduura to Coima to receive the approval for the project. The reconstruction of the fact that led to the accusation of corruption is not correct, according to the Court of Review. The invoice issued by Scandurra was not false but referred to the activity carried out by Scandurra for Coima and the amount exactly agreed upon, according to the court.
The court has also questioned accusations of corruption relating to Coima’s project to convert the Milan Olympic Village into student accommodation. It found no evidence of corruption between Scandurra and Kraylos to facilitate the approval of the project to develop the office building in Via Verziere, near Piazza Duomo in the heart of Milan, which was sold to pension fund Inarcassa.
The court considered that the accusations of illicit remuneration received by Scandurra from Castello (to influence the decision of the landscape commission on the award to the development project Torre Futura) were unfounded.
Coima, Kryalos and Castello all declined to comment.
Last month, Coima’s founder and CEO Catella has resumed his CEO responsibilities after the court of review overturned a precautionary measure as part of the urban planning investigation.
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