“Ducale” investigation in Reggio: former senator Bilardi and councilor Battaglia also investigated

John

By John

The former senator John Billardi, elected in 2013 with the Grande Sud, the municipal councilor of Reggio Calabria Domenico Battaglia known as “Mimmetto”of the Democratic Party, and the municipal councilor of the League Mario Cardia they have been registered in the register of suspects for mafia-related political vote-trading.

They are involved in the “Ducale” investigation, coordinated by the DDA of Reggio Calabria, which last June 11 led to 14 precautionary measures: 7 suspects ended up in prison, 4 under house arrest and for 3 the investigating judge Vincent Forty has ordered the obligation to report to the judicial police.

Conducted by the Carabinieri of the ROS with the coordination of the prosecutor Giovanni Bombardieri, the deputies Stefano Musolino and Walter Ignazitto and the prosecutor Salvatore Rossellothe investigation concerned the Araniti clan of Sambatelloon the northern outskirts of Reggio, who would have played an active role in the 2020 and 2021 regional elections and in the September 2020 administrative elections.

Among those arrested, there is the alleged boss Domenico Araniti and his son-in-law Daniel Barillà. The latter is the individual who, according to investigators, would have been the intermediary between the gang and politics. At the time of the Carabinieri raid, it had emerged that the mayor of Reggio Calabria was also under investigation for mafia-related political electoral exchange. Giuseppe Falcomatà, the regional councilor of Brothers of Italy Giuseppe Neri and the municipal councilor of the Democratic Party Giuseppe Sera. For the latter two, the DDA has appealed to the Review Court because the investigating judge rejected the precautionary measure of arrest.