The Milan Public Prosecutor’s Office has brought charges as part of a large-scale investigation into urban development, marking the second major wave in the “Salva Milano” case following the arrest of former vice-president of the landscape commission Giovanni Occhioni in March. This time, six potential preventive measures are being considered: arrests or house arrest for key figures in the case, Italian media reported on Thursday.
Among the measures proposed are house arrest for city policy maker and former assessore Giancarlo Tancredi and for well-known developer Manfredi Catella, head of Coima, a company involved in major projects such as Porta Nuova, Pirellino and Porta Romana.
Milan Mayor Beppe Sala has also been officially named as a suspect. He is accused of giving false testimony regarding the appointment of Giuseppe Marignoni as chairman of the landscape commission, as well as aiding and abetting the Pirellino project by inciting illegal gains.
The investigation claims that Sala “learned of his status as a suspect from the newspapers, not directly from the prosecutor’s office,” which he himself called “unacceptable.”
Investigators describe a modelled system of influence in which Tancredi and Maranoni acted on behalf of Mayor Sala and General Manager of the General Administration Malangone, providing active groups within Coima and other construction companies with access to city permits.
Numerous scandalous projects are also mentioned: Porta Nuova and infrastructure areas near Porta Romana, the Pirellino skyscraper (with the Torre Botanica project) and others, where there were “shadow plans for land use” and serious interference by private interests.
The prosecutor’s office points to the “takeover of urban architecture by private interests” and calls what is happening “speculation” acting “as a shadow administration.” As former officials and businessmen are already being questioned, the decision on preventive measures will be taken by the investigating magistrate (GIP) Mattia Fiorentini.
Mayor Sala stated that the city administration “does not recognise the conclusions of the prosecutor’s office” and intends to wait for a full investigation, emphasising that the government has already set a course for reform and transparency.
