«Thanks Matteo, yours is the first government to take Italian seafarers to heart». Matteo is the Renzi of Florence, thanks go to the patron of Mascalzone Latino, that Vincenzo Onorato, who dazzles ideals and business with the same lightness of an acrobat of the seas. For him, an inveterate charmer of the political undergrowth, the Leopolda debut is a textbook one: "I am a sailor." It is December 18, 2015. The atmosphere of the old Florentine station is dark. The lights are all on him.

He deserved it

After all, he deserved it. The budgets of the Open Foundation, the one that subsidized the activities of Matteo Renzi, first scrapper and then President of the Council of Ministers, had been abundantly supported by the rich donations of both Moby, the shipping company of the Onorato company, and personally by the owner himself. Neapolitan. Real money, hundreds of thousands of euros that leave corporate and private current accounts to slip into the accounting books of the foundation managed directly by the magic lily. All legal, of course. Until proven otherwise.

The forerunner

The investigation by the Florence Public Prosecutor's Office, like that of Milan which is upsetting the five stars and their mentor Beppe Grillo, is in fact the judicial forerunner of a political-institutional network that protected and supported Onorato. Always to the detriment of the interests of Sardinia and the Sardinians. The investigators, from Florence to Milan, are opening an impressive passage on powerful "influences" capable of influencing, directing and controlling the actions of governments and ministries. The objective of the magistrates is all too clear: to reconstruct the link between the money that Onorato, for various reasons, has introduced into the political circuit.

The behind the scenes of the money

The task of the prosecutors is, therefore, to understand whether behind that donation of money by the "sailor" there was an innate philanthropic spirit, or the search for direct support for their companies. The investigations are piercing a dense network of relationships that do not always end with kisses and hugs. In some cases, millionaire interests lie behind those relationships. In all cases, Sardinia has always been the loser, sacrificed on the altar of private interests and high-end business. If in the "Grillo case" there are several episodes to the attention of the investigators, on the "Renzi" the lenses would be aimed "only" at a law, then demolished by the Pd himself, the then party of the Florentine Matteo. A facade law, entirely aimed at supporting the companies that had favored the Italian character of the seafarers on board. Onorato alla Leopolda's debut was thanks to Renzi in the name and on behalf of the Italian seafarers.

The gift for the sailor

In light of what we are about to tell you, however, it cannot be ruled out that that thanks was only hers, that of the "Honored sailor". In reality, in fact, the only one really gratified by the millionaire "gift" of the Renzi government was him and his company. The law, that on seafarers, was, in fact, sunk by Graziano Del Rio, Pd Minister of Infrastructure in the Gentiloni government. On the other hand, the State gift which directly concerned the private affairs of the "Honored sailor" was consummated to the end. An undercover operation, for the moment overlooked by most. If in the "Grillo case" the "not completed" acts and those carried out, on the other front, that of the relationship between Onorato and the Renzi government, are recorded "heavy" actions like boulders carried out in the silence of acts internal ministries. A blitz with all the trappings, scored with an unprecedented blow of ax on maritime services for the island. Cin, was Tirrenia, in one fell swoop brought home an avalanche of millions, all to the detriment of Sardinia and the Sardinians. The pro Onorato operation, managed by the Renzi government, in all its ministerial branches, takes place under the heat of summer 2014. It is Wednesday 6 August. The session is the morning session of the Transport Commission of the Chamber of Deputies.

The August blitz

There is only one item on the agenda: "Hearing of the Undersecretary of State for the Economy, Giovanni Legnini, on the revision of the agreement with Tirrenia-Compagnia italiana di Navigazione SpA, relating to maritime connection services with the Sardinia Region". Not even two years have passed since the signing of the Convention between the State and Cin-Tirrenia, the one that “gives” the beauty of 73 million euros to Onorato's company. A request for a revision of that contract arrives at the Ministry of Transport, pursuant to a halt provision. Onorato does not disdain public money, most of the time he demands it, usually he demands it. Without that money - the chronicles record - ships stop and Sardinia remains isolated. Onorato writes to the Ministry: the shipping company, in the management of territorial continuity to and from Sardinia, is losing 30 million euros a year. There is actually no balance sheet that certifies that loss. The ministries, however, as often happens when we talk about Onorato, trust and accept the revision.

A millionaire gift

They draw up the accounts and decide to cut connection services to and from Sardinia for a total value of 20 million euros. Basically they cut the connections to Sardinia, but they leave the 73 million euros that Onorato puts in his pocket unchanged. Legnini, who in the Renzi government was undersecretary for the economy before becoming vice president of the CSM, understands what he is reading. And he specifies: the competence of this act belongs to the Ministry of Infrastructure. And he has a good reason to distance himself from it. Embarrassment is a blade that pierces modesty. Says the future deputy of the Superior Council of the Judiciary: "The proposed changes presented bring cost savings to an extent that can cope with the current and prospective imbalance." The undersecretary is in a hurry to bring oblivion to the hot dossier. He tries the road of quick reading: «I quote quickly: sale of a reserve ship Aurelia for 1.875 million; abolition of the Olbia-Arbatax extension for 1.702 million; use of ships with greater cargo carrying capacity on the Genoa-Porto Torres for 1.673 million; abolition of the Cagliari-Trapani line and additional journeys in summer for the Palermo-Cagliari line for 1.797 million; reduction of the winter frequencies of the Civitavecchia-Arbatax-Cagliari line from one day to three times a week for 7.139 million; suspension of the Livorno-Cagliari freight line during holidays for 805 thousand euros; The total of these items amounts to 19 million 992 thousand euros ".

A blow to the island

A blow to Sardinia. The south of the island loses its daily connection with the Peninsula, frequencies are reduced everywhere, routes are canceled and even the reserve ship, mandatory in the agreement, is sold. Onorato will save 20 million euros per year for the next 6 years of the agreement. Total 120 million euros. Public money that will end up "free" in the Company's coffers. The agreement with the state, in fact, will continue to make him earn 73 million euros a year, despite the fact that services have been cut for a value of 20 million euros. The operation is, of course, all to the detriment of Sardinia. Whoever earns it is only him, "the sailor". One hundred and twenty million euros which become 140 with the extension that Onorato brings home under the advent of Covid. Cyclopean figures that are worth much more than a "Thanks Matthew". In the Florence investigation into the money for the Leopolda foundation they all end up under investigation, from Renzi to Boschi, from Lotti to Carrai. For the prosecution, through the Open Foundation, they allegedly received between 2014 and 2018, in violation of the legislation on party financing, over 3.5 million euros for their political activity. In the papers also the "institutional" relations between Onorato and the Renzi government.

The failed idealist

That the patron of Mascalzone Latino was an all-round "idealist" can also be seen from the latest document recovered by the Guardia di Finanza in the Florentine investigation. In the same period in which he entrusted advertising to Grillo's Blog and to the associated Casaleggio, Onorato proposed a contract for advertising and similar services for his company to an unknown company, Digistar srl, based in Florence. The draft of the contract, for which the magistrates felt there were no conditions to act, provided for Digistar, founded on June 18, 2019, to pay 1.5 percent of the earnings generated by the activities promoted by the same. society.

Activity discontinued

Sole owner, 100% owner of the company, none other than Matteo Renzi. The former Prime Minister, however, never signed that contract with Onorato in the end. The Florence Chamber of Commerce now reads: activity ceased on February 21, 2020. Even in that judicial dossier, like that of Milan, made up of money and “influences”, the Sardinia chapter is therefore fully entitled. Sodalities consummated over time, always at the expense of the Nuraghi Island, forced to suffer the oppression of a territorial continuity from the third world, with old ships and services reduced to a flicker. In the silence of the palaces of Rome, before Sardinia, there were business, state money to Onorato's companies and donations to politics.

Mauro Pili

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