Dozens of Sardinians ended up in the network of the alleged millionaire scam involving non-existent EU funds which, according to the Ravenna Prosecutor's Office, was organized by Luca Silvestrone.
The 52-year-old president of Confederimprese showed up in Sardinia in 2014, claiming to represent a phantom American fund ready to buy Cagliari Calcio and build the stadium. Nothing came of it, because nothing (and no one) was behind him. But the self-styled businessman, according to the reconstruction of the Guardia di Finanza of the Faenza company, which arrested him a few days ago with three others, never really abandoned his (illicit) business on the island.
There are around 40 alleged victims, including companies and private individuals, who turned to the lawyer Carlo Monaldi. All deceived with the scheme used with at least 500 potential "customers" in 13 regions of Italy, according to the investigators: Silvestrone and the alleged accomplices proposed access to European funding, half of which was granted on a non-repayable basis, to those who needed money. To prepare the case they asked for around 3000 euros: money which, according to the accusation, ended up in Silvestrone's pockets through a series of false invoices. But then no one saw a cent. Because those EU support lines did not exist and the documentation was false.
The system set up to plot the scam also relied on a company based in Cagliari, which recently expanded by relying on the supposedly good advice of the entrepreneur from Ravenna. The owner claims that he too is a victim of scam. On the other hand, this is the same answer given by Silvestrone to the investigating judge who questioned him after his transfer to prison: he could not have known at all times what his collaborators were doing. A rebound of responsibility, with the alleged victims awaiting justice.
The detailed report from the lawyer Monaldi, sent some time ago, became material to work on first for the Prosecutor's Office of Cagliari and then for that of Ravenna. The lawyer's clients complain of having been defrauded of around 100 thousand euros. But the amount of Sardinian money that disappeared in the vortex of the alleged scam could be much higher.
(Unioneonline/E.Fr.)