Perugia Chief Prosecutor Raffaele
Cantone told the Parliamentary Anti-mafia Commission on Thursday
that the "market' for illegal access to State databases did not
stop with the scandal sparked by the case of a finance police
officer who snooped on politicians and celebrities while in
service at the National Anti-mafia Prosecutor's Department.
The case has become a political issue, in part because many of
the public figures spied on are on the right of political
spectrum, with the victims demanding to know if the cop at the
centre of the probe was following orders from above.
Finance police officer Pasquale Striano is alleged to have
illegally accessed the data of figures including Defence
Minister Guido Crosetto, Business Minister Adolfo Urso,
Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, Labour Minister
Marina Elvira Calderone, Environment and Energy Security
Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Education Minister Giuseppe
Valditara, Silvio Berlusconi's former partner and MP Marta
Fascina, ex-premiers Giuseppe Conte (and his partner Olivia
Paladino) and Matteo Renzi, rapper and TV personality Fedez,
soccer great Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus coach Massimiliano
Allegri, Confindustria business group chief Carlo Bonomi and
League leader Matteo Salvini's girlfriend Francesca Verdini.
He allegedly did this via abuse of the so-called 'SOS' system,
which enables officials to rummage through the information
stored on databases of individuals if the authorities receive a
report of a suspect financial operation by them.
The investigation was sparked by a complaint by Crosetto after
he noticed that a newspaper report contained confidential
information about him that could only have been obtained
illegally.
"The suspicious operation reports (SOSs) market has not stopped
at all," Cantone told the commission.
"We have resounding proof: in the first leak (of information
about the probe), a reference came out to an SOS regarding a
businessman who reportedly had dealings with the defence
minister and that SOS had not been seen by Striano.
"So someone was continuing to sell SOSs under the counter".
Cantone said leaks to the press about the developments in the
probe were "damaging the investigation", saying he did not know
where the leaks were coming form.
He added that it is "necessary to restore truth and protect the
Anti-mafia Prosecutor's Department".
National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor Giovanni Melillo reported to the
commission on the case on Wednesday and said he thought it
unlikely Striano had acted alone.
"I believe there are many elements that conflict with the idea
of an action conceived and organised by a single, supposedly
unfaithful officer," he said.
"One of the central points of Perugia prosecutors will be to
understand Striano's person and system of relations," he added.
Prosecutors believe that some of the data allegedly obtained by
Striano was used for journalist purposes, while other data may
have been passed on to a private investigator or used by Striano
for personal purposes.
A number of journalists are among 14 people under investigation
in relation to the case.
Cantone also told the Anti-Mafia Commission that his office
would examine the dossier Striano compiled on funding of the
League party during the allegedly illegal snooping.
"The activity (by Striano) on the League's funds will be among
the subjects of further examination," he said.
The League expressed alarm about the creation of the dossier on
Thursday.
"A dossier on the financing of the League ended up in the
drawers of the DNA (National Anti-Mafia Directorate), which had
no jurisdiction on this, and it was not sent to any district
attorney's office," it said in a statement.
"Why was that information collected and kept? In the midst of
the spy scandal, the mystery of this dossier it is yet another
disturbing piece of news.
"For years the League has been subjected to a defamatory
campaign (about its funding) which has been dismantled in court
after years of mud-slinging and ruined lives.
"The spy scandal confirms that it is a real attack on democracy.
"We will do everything to get to the bottom of it".
Cantone and Melillo on Thursday also reported to the
parliamentary intelligence service oversight committee COPASIR.
Leaving the hearing, Cantone said "I said what I thought was
right, the hearing has been classified".
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