From a small case, a building erected in a courtyard, that came to light almost three years ago, to the latest step in a judicial avalanche that has overwhelmed Palazzo Marino in Milan and promises further developments.

The prosecutor's office's crackdown on a "system" of "wild real estate speculation" that remained "undisturbed" for years, changing the city's skyline—an investigation already dubbed "Brick Gate"—led yesterday to a request for the arrest of a city councilor on charges of complicity in corruption, forgery, and undue influence . For Giancarlo Tancredi , a city manager until 2021 who had already "found himself deciding on crucial real estate projects" and later councilor for Urban Regeneration, prosecutors Marina Petruzzella, Paolo Filippini, and Mauro Clerici requested house arrest because he allegedly demonstrated "systemic subservience" to "financial companies and groups."

A qualitative leap in this latest round of urban planning investigations, with the team led by Deputy Tiziana Siciliano even requesting house arrest for a major player in the new construction industry, Manfredi Catella, founder and CEO of Coima.

In addition, prison requests have been made for Giuseppe Marinoni, president of the Landscape Commission until April and described by investigators as a "fixer" and "lobbyist", for Alessandro Scandurra , also a member of the Commission, and also for the real estate developer Andrea Bezziccheri of Bluestone and Federico Pella , manager and partner of the engineering firm J+S.

Among those under investigation are star architect Stefano Boeri, but above all, Milan's mayor, Beppe Sala . The mayor is accused of making false statements regarding his own qualifications or those of others regarding the appointment of Giuseppe Marinoni, president of the City's Landscape Commission, and of improper inducement to give or promise benefits related to the 'Pirellino' project by architect Stefano Boeri and businessman Manfredi Catella, president of the Coima group.

Sala, meanwhile, noted that "the Administration doesn't agree with the reported interpretation." And that Tancredi "is consulting with his lawyers before taking any action."

THE RECONSTRUCTION – The "deviant" system was allegedly based on "variations" to the master plans, disguised, according to prosecutors, as public interest with references to "social housing" to increase building volumes and heights for the benefit of businesses. Tancredi was allegedly Marinoni's political "front" in the "corrupt pact" to implement this "shadow Territorial Governance Plan (PTG). And the latter allegedly collected "heavy fees" from J+S of Pella, involving real estate companies and firms in the scheme. Scandurra, meanwhile, allegedly received up to €2.5 million.

The hundreds of pages of documents—a collection that followed the March arrest of Giovanni Oggioni, former vice president of the Landscape Commission, who allegedly participated in drafting the "Save Milan" bill to block the investigation—report the events surrounding the numerous targeted projects: from the Porta Nuova Bastions to the Porta Romana railway yards, the "post-Olympic Village student housing," and the former Pirellino-Torre Botanica project. On this latter front, to secure a favorable opinion from the Commission, Boeri also reportedly spoke with Sala in a chat, using what prosecutors say were "very resolute and commanding" tones.

Preliminary Investigating Judge Mattia Fiorentini (who has already ruled out the risk of escape and tampering with evidence) will have to decide on the six arrest requests after the preliminary interrogations on July 23.

(Unioneonline)

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