Two and a half centuries of life and constant commitment for the Guardia di Finanza. A milestone of 250 years (1774-2024) which marks the history of the Fiamme Gialle in the territory, also celebrated yesterday in Messina, at the Passeggiata a mare, in the presence of the major civil, military and religious authorities, including the prefect Cosima Di Stani , the mayor Federico Basile, the auxiliary bishop Cesare Di Pietro, the rector Giovanna Spatari, the president of the Court of Appeal of Messina, Luigi Lombardo, with the attorney general Carlo Caponcello, the chief prosecutor Antonio D’Amato.
The passing of the Banner of the city of Messina began the ceremony with the musical accompaniment of the Aosta Brigade band. This was followed by a review of the deployment by the provincial commander, Colonel Gerardo Mastrodomenico, accompanied by the commander of the Messina Air and Naval Group, Lieutenant Colonel Alessandro Santarelli.
After the reading of the messages forwarded from Rome by the President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella (preceded by the performance of the Mameli Hymn) and the general commander of the Guardia di Finanza, Andrea De Gennaro, who took up the famous quote “Nec recisa recedit”, made by Gabriele D’Annunzio to the financiers of the time and which has since become the motto of the Institution of the Corps, the many aspects on which the activity of Finance moves on a daily basis were recalled. From tax evasion and the fight against fraud to the protection of public spending, including the resources of the Pnrr, the defense of Made in Italy with record seizures, organized crime with the fight against drug trafficking, rescue operations, but also the attention towards the future marked by technological and artificial intelligence challenges to improve and optimize the management of services.
«The 250th anniversary of the foundation of the Corps – said Commander Mastrodomenico – it is an opportunity to express my deep and sincere gratitude to all the men and women who work with commitment and professionalism in the service of the community for the respect of legality and according to the principles of democracy. A group composed of a single denominator. We will continue to work with humility and commitment as we have done so far. The history of the Guardia di Finanza is linked to that of the province of Messina and to the daily activity that we carry out for the protection of the territory and the citizens».
Since last April, the Guardia di Finanza has been an honorary citizen of Messina. It is no coincidence that the high recognition was conferred by the Municipality on the occasion of the 250th anniversary of the institution. The ceremony concluded with the presentation of awards to nineteen soldiers who distinguished themselves during the performance of their duties. Receiving the commendations were the financiers Sabatino Battaglia, Antonino La Greca, Floriana Cristillo, Vanda Marras, Rosario Disclafani, Gaetano Fornaro, Salvatore Paratore, Antonino Saccomanno, Salvatore Bellantone, Giovanni Perrone, Vincenzo Amatore, Riccardo De Luca, Michele Valente, Benedetto Lozzi, Alessandro Antonio Porto, Giovanni Portelli, Giuseppe Pasquale, Tiziano Solimeo, Remo Simone Rubiu.
A special recognition, with the presentation of a medal of merit, was received by retired Brigadier Marcello Venuti for thirty years of membership in the Messina section of Anfi, the National Association of Italian Financiers. It was delivered by commander Mastrodomenico, together with the provincial president of Anfi Giovanni Miserendino. The financier’s prayer interpreted by soprano Francesca Morabito concluded the celebrations.
Over the last year, throughout the province of Messina, a total of 150 tax evaders have been discovered, as many as 1,881 illegal workers, 139 people have been reported in relation to tax crimes, and fraud worth several million euros has been confirmed in the field of money laundering. of money 68 people were reported, of which three were arrested with the seizure of assets worth over one million euros, and finally 87 kilograms of narcotic drugs were seized.