“As mayor of the City of Messina, which involves the city councilor Maurizio Crocealready suspended from office by prefectural order, ininvestigation relating to the construction site of the environmental redevelopment and hygienic rehabilitation of the Cataratti – Bisconte stream bedin the introduction, I manifest maximum and total trust in the investigative bodies and the judiciary, certain that the search for the truth always clarifies every doubt”, said the mayor Federico Basile.
“However, I intend to make a step – continues Basile – also in terms of the quality of the work which today is at the center of the judicial affair. To this end, it is underlined that the work was contracted and supervised by the commissioner structure that commissioned the work, with which this Administration has always promptly communicated whenever problems arose. In this respect, it is important to highlight that the Municipality of Messinaalso through AMAM SpA, although not directly responsible for the construction site, has repeatedly called for corrective interventions and remedial work to address the critical issues that emerged after the construction of the works along the Cataratti-Bisconte stream. The clear change in the hydraulic regime after the works, for example, resulting from the works carried out under the contract in question, has alerted the Municipality several times due to the consequential flooding, so much so that the AMAM has asked the contracting authority for information for remedial interventions regarding non-collected wastewater, in terms of white water channeled along Via Santa Marta. These requests, however, actually triggered the request for compensation from the commissioner structure for work they would have done on behalf of AMAM; sums that neither AMAM nor the Municipality of Messina obviously ever intended to pay. Another problem reported by the Municipality of Messina concerns the water collection system resulting from the works in question, which required several interventions by AMAM to prevent episodes of flooding in the ministerial Hot Spot intended for the reception of immigrants. These, like other critical issues, have always been communicated through short channels by the Municipality of Messina which has always kept a high level of attention on the contract in question”.
“Finally, without going into the merits of the conflict of interest, however I can only condemn the serious conduct of the former municipal councilor Croce characterized by numerous absences in the municipal council, such as to compromise the effectiveness and integrity of his role as representative of the Civic assembly, limiting its commitment and political action only to particular circumstances rather than contributing in a constant and responsible manner to the overall activity of the City Council in the last year. An attitude that demonstrates an absolute lack of respect for the institutions and for the citizens”, concludes Mayor Basile.