Violation of ethical standards toward the client: this is the reason that led to the suspension from the Order of Engineers of Giovanni Casali, a professional from La Maddalena who is also well-known in Cagliari. The disciplinary measure was issued in June and is valid until September 24th. It's not the first time for Casali: "The previous time it happened for failure to pay two years' worth of fees," he explains. He adds: " I know the Cagliari Prosecutor's Office is investigating me? Yes, if they call me, I'll clarify everything."

In October 2024, the engineer ended up at the center of a Striscia la Notizia story : approached under a ruse, he was called to answer the complaints of several of his former clients who claimed that they had paid him – in total – many thousands of euros for work that had never been carried out.

The media coverage of the case had brought out other accusers. Among them, a young entrepreneur couple: Valeria Pilia and Klaus Hofbauer , a Sardinian and an Austrian, had hired Casali in early 2024 to renovate a space on Via Angioy in Cagliari. They wanted to transform it into a cocktail bar, investing their lifetime savings, which required planning, permits, and renovation.

Casali immediately got to work and sent the first invoices. Then more, and more. All, the two entrepreneurs explain, were duly paid, up to a total of nearly 40,000 euros. But meanwhile, on Via Angioy, nothing had happened. Having learned of the accusations leveled against the engineer, in October the two attempted to ascertain the status of their case: at the City Hall, in various offices, all that was found was a protocol that had already been rejected for serious deficiencies.

They questioned Casali, who explained, "I'm sorting everything out." But the matter was closed—for this first part—with a complaint to the Public Prosecutor's Office. This was added to other reports of alleged irregularities filed by other clients who claimed they had been defrauded: they paid, but the promised work was not carried out. In Pirri and other neighborhoods of Cagliari. But not only that, according to the Striscia report.

Casali denies all the accusations: in several phone calls, he maintains that "if I made a mistake, I didn't do it intentionally. I'm a professional. I'll clarify everything, and if I have to pay back any money, I will. But to do that, they'll have to give me work." And with the suspension from the register, at this stage, it's complicated.

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