(Link from previous 2 tweets). ⬇️https://t.co/A8oG0AZ3eB
— Swampkiller (@Danny13596121) January 16, 2021
The Guardia di Finanza, Italy’s financial crime unit, has opened an investigation into a bribe scheme involving a 1.2 billion Euro deal with China for the acquisition of face masks at the height of the Covid19 pandemic in that country last year. Italian authorities accuse plotters of pocketing 12 million euros in illicit commissions in exchange for contracts given to the Chinese for the masks.
The accusations were so serious in fact, that Italy’s Protezione Civile or Civil Protection Agency’s headquarters were raided last month. (Protezione Civile is loosely-akin to the U.S.’ Federal Emergency Management Agecy or FEMA.)
At the heart of the scandal is Mario Benotti, the head of OPTEL, a public-private research consortium in the field of advanced electronics in the medical, civil and military arenas. As head of the group, Benotti has had close ties with Leonardo SpA, Italy’s billioin-dollar defense contractor.
Benotti has denied any wrongdoing, however. He issued the following statement to the Italian Journalist Agency or AGI, (translated):
“I made myself available to the country at a very difficult time. It was March, Italy was in lockdown. Masks and respirators were missing. People died like flies. I did it as an entrepreneur and taking advantage of my personal friendships that have nothing to do with either the politicians in the government or with those of the opposition,” he said.
“Since I am president of a public private consortium that has relationships all over the world, I made myself available to help find the masks that Italy did not have…if there were better offers than ours, they could have chosen to contact them,” he added.
Leonardo is currently at the center of allegations that equipment owned and operated by the firm was used to facilitate interference in the Nov. 4 U.S. presidential election.
The timing of the opening of the face mask investigation is notable because it was the very next day that Leonardo SpA personnel were arrested on suspicions of hacking sensitive military data on Leonardo’s network.
One of those arrested was Arturo D’Elia, the whistleblower who says he is in possession of evidence of the election interference plot. News of the plot broke in Italian media four days before D’Elia was arrested for the suspected hacking.
The face-mask investigation is also notable in light of last week’s announcement that Guardia di Finanza is investigating another alleged commission-kickback scheme, this one directly involving Leonardo SpA as well as U.S. tech giant Google.
Google is accused of facilitating the illicit movement of funds to Italy that were paid as bribes, according to authorities.
Maria Zack, Chairwoman of NationsInAction.org, a government accountability organization, alleges SpyGate and ItalyGate have been funded with the help of $400 million secretly funneled to Italy in the waning days of the Obama administration.