A blitz, secret and silent as always. Yet another in this story that aims to make the most important of the Sardinian airports, that of Cagliari, go private. An entirely top-level operation, built in the depths of high finance, with powerful and highly placed partners, national and international financial funds, and a political elite hidden among banks and foundations.
After the vote
Not even twenty-four hours have passed since the electoral results when the supporters of the most impressive privatization ever implemented in Sardinia return to the attack. They do it in their own way, as they have attempted several times: very confidential convocation of the Chamber of Commerce Council with on the agenda the merger of Sogaer, the company that manages the Cagliari airport, with the "very private" managers of the concession of the airports of northern Sardinia, that of the Costa Smeralda, in Olbia, and the Riviera del Corallo, in Alghero. This time too everything had to remain under the radar, as if a suburban garage were being sold and not an airport with almost five million passengers. There is no point in looking for official confirmation of the call.
Agenda prohibited
The agenda of the Chamber of Commerce is forbidden to everyone, inaccessible and, not even by mistake, shared on the institutional website of the Chamber of Commerce. Yet, until proven otherwise, it is an autonomous functional body governed by public law, a subject that should be obliged for transparency, and not only, to formally communicate the intention to privatize such a "public" and fundamental asset as the first infrastructure of the island. Instead, nothing. The news of yet another "blitz-call" arrives breathlessly, thanks to the leaks from the Palace, those from the Chamber of Commerce.
The “magnificent” 8
An appointment which, according to latest rumours, should take place between the end of the morning and early afternoon today in the offices of Largo Carlo Felice in Cagliari, the Chamber of Commerce headquarters par excellence. The summons, however, certainly arrived in the certified email of the members of the Council: Maurizio de Pascale, president, Salvatore Ferdinando Faedda, vice president, Massimo Balia, Michelina Mulas, Gaetano Attilio Nastasi, Patrizia Pinna, Luca Saba and Daniela Schirru. They are the ones who will have to take responsibility, from every point of view, including the fiscal one, of giving the green light to one of the most delicate and controversial privatization operations ever to have taken place on the island. In the resolution, which for the umpteenth time ends up being voted on by the Chamber of Commerce, the green light would be given to the subscription of a capital increase of "Ligantia Spa", the private company that manages the concessions of the Olbia and Alghero airports. In practice, the operation, entirely financial, involves the transfer of the 94.4% shareholding of the Chamber of Commerce in "Sogaer", the company that manages the Cagliari airport, to the company "Ligantia SpA". All this in the face of a capital increase of "F2i Ligantia". The result would be without appeal: the “Holding F2i-Ligantia” would end up holding the majority shareholdings in the management companies of the three Sardinian airports, while the Chamber of Cagliari – Oristano would have the useless minority share of 40.5%. A real renunciation, and at a high price, of the "ownership" and management of a strategic and decisive infrastructure for the development of Southern Sardinia and beyond. The public capital of the Chamber of Commerce would thus be reduced to an extra role, effectively depriving the Island of its main "gateway" which would therefore end up in private hands, those of financial funds such as "F2i", " Black Rock”, and many others who could appropriate other shares through the corporate “castles” involved in this operation.
Contrary action
If the Chamber of Commerce Council were to take on the burden of this decision again this morning, after having been blocked several times following very serious contrary opinions from the relevant bodies, including repeated judicial interventions on the matter, it would constitute an act contrary to the very institutional purposes of the 'Body called to protect and safeguard the interests of all chamber members, from businesses to traders, from professions to production sectors.
Public good for private individuals
An entirely private operation on an entirely public asset, with the aggravating circumstance of excluding any public tender procedure, which is mandatory in the case of the sale of public shares. With the excuse of creating a "phantom" unitary management of the three Sardinian airports, useless and harmful for competition itself, the Cagliari Chamber of Commerce, instead, would like to privatize the Elmas airport without any public tender, using a singular formula of "irreplaceability", directly selling the majority of "Sogaer" to "F2i", the financial fund with a passion for Sardinian airports.
Judicial case
Finally, the legal matter also weighs heavily on this matter. In recent months, Confcommercio, with President Alberto Bertolotti, has already launched a very serious appeal to the Sardinia Regional Administrative Court, lining up the major legal luminaries. The Administrative Court had effectively frozen the proceedings following the verdict against the operation by the Court of Auditors. Now the appeal, if this morning the Chamber of Commerce decides to move forward, will resume its administrative and civil judicial process. The Sardinian Region, which was against the operation, also took sides in support of Confcommercio's appeal. From Viale Trento, seat of the Presidency of the Region, for now there is a heavy silence regarding this new call. We just need to understand whether it will mean a green light or a new stop to private climbing to the first access gate on Sardinian land.
