Dozens of searches by the Guardia di Finanza (Financial Police) were carried out yesterday and today throughout Cagliari as part of an investigation into an alleged gang specializing in fraud involving judicial auctions. Officers from the Cagliari Economic and Tax Police Unit are carrying out searches on approximately fifteen suspects at large, including a municipal employee, a service messenger, and a traffic policeman, all from the municipality of Cagliari.
Investigators went to the offices of the Sports Department this morning, after visiting the employee's home, to complete the investigation ordered by the Prosecutor's Office. The department, led by lawyer Giuseppe Macciotta, appears to be completely uninvolved in the matter.
The investigation, which in December included about fifteen files, all of which were merged into the hands of Public Prosecutor Enrico Lussu, concerns a long series of scams targeting people seeking to purchase homes or cars at discounted prices, goods that, however, turned out to be a mirage. At least a dozen complaints were filed, prompting the Cagliari Prosecutor's Office to open various files, all of which were then merged into the hands of Public Prosecutor Lussu, a member of the group dealing with economic crimes.
The plaintiffs allegedly gave the alleged scammers thousands of euros in deposits, only to discover that the documents they had accessed through a fictitious agent were completely false. One of the victims even took her own life, while a second was saved at the last minute by a family member. The full details of the investigation are still unknown, but over the past two days, it has exploded with multiple searches of the suspects' homes.
The investigators' actions have raised many questions at City Hall. And the rumors have been silenced by Councilor Macciotta: " I wanted to reassure the small group of opposition councilors who have maliciously taken an interest in this matter," he explains, "that this is an investigation involving several administration employees for matters concerning their private lives, and the department I am honored to represent is obviously completely uninvolved."
