“Serene, I’ll clarify.” Stomach aches in the M5S- Corriere.it

The Calabrian deputy of the 5 Star Movement Riccardo Tucci, was indicted together with three other people, on charges of fraud in the context of an investigation by the finance police coordinated by the Vibo Valentia prosecutor who, in January 2021, had also led to a preventive seizure of assets for over 800 thousand euros. After numerous postponements, today the investigating judge ordered the trial of all the suspects, setting the first date of the hearing for 11 July next.

Tucci, in Calabria, as a loyalist of Giuseppe Conte, a leading exponent of the Five Stars. The former prime minister, despite this investigation being well known before and during the last electoral campaign, nevertheless decided to nominate Tucci for a second term, even if there were several stomach aches in the Movement: a serious accusation, how can we nominate him?, was the most recurring phrase. But today the justicialist wave, which favored the success of the early Five Stars, seems just a faded memory.

The Courier contacted Tucci, asking him if, in the face of this indictment, he intends to suspend himself or not from the party: Respect for the work of the judiciary and for its independence is a principle enshrined in the Constitution that the Movement has made its own since its birth – replies the deputy -. For this reason, I accept the indictment with the utmost equanimity, aware that in the course of the procedure I will be able to demonstrate my total non-involvement in the facts. I’m fine with my conscience and I’m ready to face this process, as long as the truth emerges in the right places. Tucci then underlines how the story in which he is involved predates the beginning of my political activity. However, I have already informed the M5S bodies making myself available for any clarification and also in this case I will act in full transparency.

Together with the deputy, his cousin, Adriano Tucci, Domenico Garcea and Vincenzo Schiavello, all residing in the Vibonese area, are accused. The allegations are, for various reasons, of fraudulent misrepresentation through the use of invoices for non-existent transactions and the issuing of invoices for non-existent transactions. According to investigators, Tucci held the position of legal representative of the Assistance for satellite telematic services – Social Cooperative Society until 19 March 2018, therefore before the start of its parliamentary activity, and in order to evade taxes – reads the seizure decree – by increasing the costs to be deducted from income and deducting value added tax, after having noted in the company’s accounts an invoice dated 10 March 2015, issued by Autoelettrosat Srl, relating to objectively non-existent transactions, used it in the declarations of direct taxes and VAT for the year 2015, thus evading taxes for an amount equal to 9,900 euros (of which 5,500 for Ires and 4,400 for VAT.

The alleged tax fraud would have been based on a complex mechanism aimed at allowing income tax evasion and on added value by issuing invoices for non-existent operations issued by companies qualifying as paper mills, created by the legal representative of the company being audited. The investigation allegedly ascertained the issue of invoices for non-existent transactions for an amount of over 3 million of Euro.

The Political Diary newsletter

If you want to stay updated on political news, subscribe to the newsletter “Political Diary”. It is dedicated to Corriere della Sera subscribers and arrives twice a week at 12. Just click here.