Beppe Grillo is under investigation in Milan for trafficking in illegal influences for some advertising contracts signed by the shipping company Moby with the blog Beppegrillo.it.

The founder of the Cinquestelle Movement ended up in the investigators' crosshairs for the "advertising" agreement relating to the two-year period 2018-2019: it provided for a fee of 120 thousand euros a year in exchange for one spot a month and the insertion of advertising messages , editorial content and interviews with Moby “testimonials” to be published also on social networks.

Also in 2018 there was another payment by Moby "in favor of Casaleggio Associati Srl, in relation to a contract with the aim of raising awareness among the institutions on the issue of seafarers, for an annual fee of approximately Euro 600,000, in addition to any 'goal fees' linked to the early achievement of the contractual objectives, lasting two years (resolved by mutual agreement as of March 1, 2020) ".

At stake in this case were the "drafting of a strategic plan and the management of initiatives aimed at raising public awareness and the stakeholders of the maritime sector on the limitation of the tax benefits of the International Register to ships that embark Italian or EU crews only. ", With the aim of" raising awareness among institutions and reaching a community of one million people ".

CHATS AND "INFLUENCES" - Vincenzo Onorato, according to the investigations, asked Beppe Grillo for a series of interventions in favor of Moby spa that the leader of the Cinquestelle Movement "conveyed to politicians, thus transferring the relative" to the shipowner " answers ": this is stated in the press release of the Acting Public Prosecutor of Milan Riccardo Targetti.

At the records also a series of chats sent by Onorato to Grillo and from this turned to political exponents of the Cinquestelle with requests to "help" the Italian shipping group burdened by financial debts. As far as we know, the chats, with also the replies to the requests made by Onorato, were transmitted by the prosecutors of Florence, owners of the dossier on the Matteo Renzi Open Foundation. Investigators now want to understand whether the compensation received by the comedian's society was the payment for actual services or the price for political "mediation".

THE INQUIRY - As part of the investigation by the Gdf, coordinated by the adjunct Maurizio Romanelli and by the prosecutor Cristiana Roveda, activities are underway with searches and acquisitions - in the offices of Beppe Grillo srl and in the registered office of Casaleggio associates - of documents by the financiers of the economic and financial police unit of the Gdf of Milan.

On Moby, recently admitted to the arrangement with creditors , an investigation for bankruptcy is underway, coordinated by the prosecutor Roberto Fontana, which sees the patron Vincenzo Onorato and his son under investigation. The vein for trafficking in illicit influences was born from a tranche of this investigation.

The investigation started, among other things, from a technical report, attached to the arrangement with creditors and signed by Stefania Chiaruttini, which spoke of the money paid to Beppe Grillo srl and Casaleggio Associati. In addition, € 200 thousand to the Matteo Renzi "supporter" Open Foundation, € 100 thousand to the Change Committee linked to the president of Liguria Giovanni Toti, € 90 thousand to the Democratic Party, to close with € 10 thousand to the Brothers of Italy. And still 550 thousand euros for Roberto Mercuri (not investigated), former right-hand man of the former vice president of Unicredit Fabrizio Palenzona, to which are added, in addition to the 50 thousand euros for the non-profit association "Until proven otherwise", the purchase and the restructuring for 4.5 million of a villa on the Costa Smeralda for corporate "representation", luxury apartments in Milan "for use by representatives of the Board of Directors", rental of private jets and cars such as Aston Martin and Rolls Royce, Mercedes or Maserati Levante. At present, however, with the exception of Beppe Grillo, the other names indicated in the report are not registered in the register of suspects.

(Unioneonline / D)

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