The house was illegally foreclosed. And when the bailiff showed up with the Carabinieri to vacate the property, the owner was demolishing it with a bulldozer.

There were moments of extreme tension this morning on Via della Fauna, in Medau Su Cramu, Cagliari, a neighborhood created—without authorization—inside Molentargius Park. A culmination—perhaps—of a story that has been going on for a long time.

Marcella Corda purchased the house in 2002: "After seeing the house for sale, we followed all the purchasing procedures and applied for a mortgage with the bank," she recalls. "A technical consultant verified that everything was in order, the notary had his appraisals carried out, and the bank also hired another appraiser, all at our expense. After the purchase, we submitted an application to the municipality of Cagliari to begin renovation work. We took possession of the house in October 2002. For various family reasons, we then decided to sell and return to live in the city."

This is where the problems arise. "We hired a real estate agency, which, after all the surveys and checks, told us the house was illegal and unsellable. But when we bought it, no one had checked for irregularities, not even the notary." This is where the ordeal begins. "We contacted a bank and agreed with the sellers to nullify the deed. Everyone would have gotten their money back. But in the summer of 2013, the bailiff arrived and notified us of a foreclosure on the house. I thought it was a prank. We consulted several lawyers. In 2016, the judge, after conducting some investigations, discovered that there had already been two demolition orders, one in 1983 and another in 1985."

Appeals and counter-appeals have led to delays until today. First, the argument with the Carabinieri, then Corda's partner took to the ground in protest, while part of the building had already been demolished: "The judge ordered us to do it," Corda told the officers.

An ambulance from 118 also responded to Via della Fauna this morning to assist the owner who had felt unwell: he was taken to Brotzu for medical checks due to a hypertensive crisis.

"We learned of the sad story of Mrs. Corda and her family a few months ago , and we can only express our deepest sympathy for the difficulties they are experiencing. It's a painful story, which highlights how an incautious purchase can unfortunately have serious consequences when it comes to illegal properties," said Matteo Lecis Cocco Ortu, City Councilor for Urban Planning.

It's important to clarify that the municipal administration has never owned the property, emphasizes Zedda, member of the council. "The legal proceedings involving the property involve relationships between private individuals, banks, notaries, and foreclosure proceedings, areas that fall outside the municipality's direct jurisdiction."

The property is located within the Molentargius–Saline Regional Natural Park, "an area recognized as a wetland of international importance under the Ramsar Convention, a habitat for protected species such as greater flamingos. Landscape restrictions, absolute building bans, and the Park's founding regulations prohibit new construction and prevent the amnesty of illegal buildings. As an administration," he concludes, "we are doing everything we can, within the limits of our powers, to support the family and address the situation in compliance with the law. At the same time, we are called upon to protect the common good: the protection of the land and the fight against illegal construction, particularly total illegal construction, which has also been a focus of attention for years by the Public Prosecutor's Office and the technical committees of the Region and the Municipality."

Enrico Fresu

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