Today an act of war was signed against the city of Bari. The Minister Piantedosi informed me on the phone that a commission has been appointed to verify the possible dissolution of the Municipality of Bari. This decision comes after the Minister of the Interior decided to carry out an anti-mafia inspection in the Bari City Council and other municipal companies. The ministerial commission was appointed to investigate alleged mafia infiltrations in the Bari City Council and other municipal companies after the arrest of 130 people in an investigation that revealed alleged mafia-political entanglement with vote swapping during the 2019 local elections. The Mayor Decaro expressed his dismay at this decision and criticized the political motivations behind it.
The reactions to the situation have become political, with the Democratic Party (PD) standing in solidarity with Mayor Decaro. Other politicians have also expressed their views on the matter, with some criticizing the Minister Piantedosi’s decision and others supporting the need for legal actions to ensure transparency and legality in the Municipality of Bari. The President of the Puglia Region, Michele Emiliano, also weighed in, expressing concerns about the potential risks faced by Mayor Decaro due to the investigation. The lawmakers of Forza Italia who had requested the intervention of the Ministry of the Interior responded to Mayor Decaro’s criticisms, defending the actions taken by the government to uphold legality and transparency.
In the midst of the controversy, the Ministry of the Interior released a statement clarifying that the inspection is a necessary action following the recent arrests and a judicial investigation in Bari. The inspection is not a prelude to the dissolution of the Municipality, but rather an in-depth examination of the administrative activities with the aim of protecting the local administrators and allowing them to provide relevant information for evaluation. The situation in Bari has sparked a national debate on the role of politics and law enforcement in combating mafia influence in local governments and the need for preventive actions to maintain public trust and integrity.
The investigation in Bari that led to over 100 arrests has revealed significant involvement within the Bari City Council, particularly in the case of councilor Maria Carmen Lorusso. Lorusso, who had been under house arrest as part of the investigation into vote swapping and mafia influence in the 2019 local elections, had announced her intention to run again in the upcoming elections. She had initially been elected in the center-right coalition before switching to the center-left in 2021. Her husband, former regional councilor Giacomo Olivieri, was also implicated in the same investigation, highlighting the complex web of political ties and alleged mafia connections within the local government in Bari. The revelations have further exposed the challenges and complexities of governance and law enforcement in combating organized crime.
