Embezzlement of nearly €270,000 and fraud involving the regional emergency service 118, amounting to nearly €3.4 million. This is the allegation made by the Cagliari Public Prosecutor's Office against five individuals and five nonprofit organizations who, between 2018 and 2023, allegedly managed ambulance services. An investigation by the Guardia di Finanza, coordinated by Public Prosecutor Andrea Vacca, has just concluded with the notification of closure of the preliminary investigation to the suspects. The investigation, which also alleges fraud in public procurement in some cases, also concludes.
The suspects
At the center of the investigation into the alleged system revolving around 118 is Claudio Cugusi, a 57-year-old journalist, former city councilor, and leader of the "Sardi in Europa" movement. Investigators also accuse him of embezzlement. The other suspects are regional director Maria Carla Savarino (63), Pier Gimmy Onnis (59, from Sanluri), Antonio Murru (57, from Quartu), and Claudio Murru (65, from Cagliari), all of whom, in various capacities, are legal representatives or de facto directors of volunteer associations and social cooperatives affiliated with emergency services. The organizations they manage are also implicated: Associazione I Sardi Soccorso, Sardegna Soccorso Cagliari, Nuova Cagliari Emergenza, Nuova Cagliari Soccorso, and Volontari Soccorso Sardegna.
The scheme
According to the prosecution, these associations—despite presenting themselves as non-profit volunteer organizations, a requirement to operate the 118 emergency service under an agreement with the Azienda Tutela Salute (Health Authority) and later with Areus (Areaus)—in reality operated as family-run businesses, effectively subcontracting services to unauthorized third parties (including corporations) and concealing this fact from public authorities through falsified financial statements. According to the prosecution, under the direction of Cugusi himself, the public funds earmarked for healthcare were partially diverted for personal gain: from the purchase of motorcycles and furniture to the payment of driving lessons, dinners, insurance policies, and even bank transfers to relatives, in addition to payments disguised as reimbursements for "expenses" or "travel expenses."
The numbers
The Guardia di Finanza and prosecutor Vacca have quantified the alleged total unfair profit at millions. Cugusi is accused of embezzlement of €241,000 plus another €28,000, as well as conspiracy with Savarino to defraud the public body of €3,393,015. Onnis is accused of another €3.9 million fraud, while Antonio Murru received approximately €1.7 million and Claudio Murru over €270,000. According to investigators, the syndicates operated between Cagliari, Quartu, Sanluri, and Sadali. With the investigation now closed, lawyer Gianluca Aste, who represents nearly all of the suspects, will have access to the entire file, filing documents in his clients' defense or requesting that they be questioned before prosecutor Vacca potentially requests the preliminary hearing judge to schedule a preliminary hearing.
The defense
"Along with many good people, I am accused of a series of filthy acts and embezzlements I allegedly committed in the healthcare sector over the years. Sooner or later, public justice will be served on the case of those who, like me—before, during, and after Covid—have generously dedicated themselves to everyone's health." This is how former city councilor Claudio Cugusi commented on the notice of conclusion of the investigation he was served by the Guardia di Finanza. "My conscience is clear and my head is held high, but until I am cleared of the final charge, I reiterate that I do not intend to hold public office, elective or otherwise."
"My clients are surprised and disappointed to be implicated in this matter," explains lawyer Gianluca Aste, who is representing nearly all of the suspects , "because they work daily in the service of the community, amidst all the serious challenges facing the public healthcare sector. They offered their tireless assistance at a particularly dramatic time for the entire country and our region, during the height of the COVID pandemic. They provided, some even while infected, an essential service to the community: emergency medical care and transport. And they did so in a situation of extreme difficulty and uncertainty, at the cost of their personal sacrifice and that of all their collaborators, who worked with dedication and a spirit of service. They await this calmly, confident that they will be able to clarify all aspects of their position."
