Paolino Iorio said he was only giving “advice.” Phone calls in which he spoke of the arrival of “parcels” are recorded
“I don’t know how that money ended up in my jacket.” This is how Paolino Iorio, general director of Sogin, responded to the Financial Police when three nights ago he was arrested with the 15 thousand euros that Massimo Rossi had given him. According to the prosecution, the general manager came to collect them every two weeks. And during his interrogation before the prosecution, he claimed to have received around 100,000 euros since February 2023. The bribes were contained in electrosealed envelopes that he hid in the pockets of his suit. “I made a mistake, but I was just giving advice,” Iorio said. Meetings took place in Rossi's Roman house twice a month. Some were filmed by financiers. In the documents there is also an interception in which Iorio calls Rossi and asks him: “Have the packages arrived?”
Interceptions
Then he asked about the times while the Financial Police listened: “How much longer do I have to wait?” And he kept calling. These phone calls he announced today The pressare all under investigation. “I was doing consulting work,” he still justifies himself. While the tactic of denying everything, reported today by Republicdoes not seem to have succeeded in convincing the investigators. Rossi, according to the investigation, paid Iorio to promote his business and that of his friends. The two men spoke to each other via an older model cell phone, to prevent them from installing Trojan horses. The SIM was registered in the name of the entrepreneur's wife. The investigation coordinated by MPs Giuseppe Cascini and Paolo Ielo and prosecutors Lorenzo Del Giudice and Gianfranco Gallo is investigating 18 individuals and 14 companies. Two are listed on the stock exchange: Olidata and Digital Value.
“Come on, there’s work for everyone here.”
Also among those under investigation are “Antonio della Difesa”, or Antonio Angelo Masala, as well as an employee of the Ministry of the Interior. Masala said to his friends at Olidata: “Come on, there’s work for everyone here.” While to Andrea Stroppa, “Elon Musk's representative in Italy”, he declared “the government is with you” when speaking about Palazzo Chigi's agreement with SpaceX to use Starlink as a connection provider for Italian embassies in the world. The company proposed a government satellite network connected to ground stations in Italy. The agreement, lasting five years, would cost one and a half billion. Masala handed Stroppa some documents regarding the deal. These are not classified documents. And it will be difficult to prove corruption, given that the deal is not yet finalized and no tender is planned.
