The Parliamentary Committee for the Security of the Republic (Il Copasir) has requested access to the investigation files in Milan regarding illegal gathering of information, while respecting the confidentiality of the investigation. The investigation revealed purported acquisitions of intelligence documents and the group of people under investigation is said to have “high-level support,” including from foreign intelligence services. The Committee wants to clarify the involvement of intelligence agencies, as it did in a previous investigation in Perugia related to accessing financier Pasquale Striano’s databases. According to the Milan District Attorney’s Office, there may have been more than 800,000 individuals who were possibly spied on through unauthorized access to databases. Various individuals, including former police officer Carmine Gallo and former 5% shareholder of the investigation company Equalizesrl Pierfrancesco Barletta, are under investigation.
The investigation by the Milan District Attorney’s Office, which involves 51 individuals, includes intercepted conversations where Enrico Pazzali, a manager at Fondazione Fiera Milano, requested a report on Senate President Ignazio La Russa. The investigation also suggests that Russian citizens may have been subjects of unauthorized dossiering, with references to a famous Russian oligarch and his involvement in luxury resorts. The investigation also reveals conversations where individuals within the group boast of high-level connections in various sectors, including organized crime and foreign intelligence services.
An intricate network of spies comprised of hackers, IT consultants, private intelligence agencies, and police officers believed they could deceive Italy with their dossier factory, which offered illegally acquired confidential information from strategic databases. After the Striano case, the long history of dossiering has finally surfaced in the North, exposing the involvement of individuals such as Carmine Gallo and Enrico Pazzali. The investigation implicates several individuals in an organized crime ring that illicitly obtained data from national databases and sold them to clients for various purposes.
The investigative efforts are focused on Equalize srl, a private investigation company owned by Enrico Pazzali and managed by Carmine Gallo. Pazzali is believed to be the key figure in the investigation, allegedly using the hacker network to damage the reputations of competitors, political adversaries, and associates. Targets of the espionage activities included prominent figures such as sports executives, journalists, and business leaders. The investigation also implicates multiple individuals and companies in accessing finance, banking, and legal information for unlawful purposes.
In response to the illegal spying activities, Senator Matteo Renzi has instructed his lawyers to pursue legal action in all related cases. Italy Viva party has called for the establishment of a parliamentary commission of inquiry to investigate the violations and protect democratic guarantees. Government officials and lawmakers have expressed concern over the breach of privacy and security, emphasizing the need for legislative and technological measures to safeguard sensitive data from malicious activities. Ministers have acknowledged the importance of updating laws and technologies to prevent future incidents of hacking and unauthorized access to information.
