The story of the former health manager
–
PALERMO – A staging with surreal outlines to mask the corruptive pact, as the prosecution claims, or was Antonio Candela really convinced that he was about to join the secret services, as the defense believes?
The Court of Review on appeal rejected the request with which the Palermo prosecutors asked to take the former director general of Asp 6 and former anti-covid commissioner of the Sicily Region, and the fixer Giuseppe Taibbi to prison.
The defense lawyers, the lawyers Giuseppe Seminara and Ninni Reina opposed the aggravation of the precautionary measure. It is a question of precautionary needs.
One thousand and 800 pages of chat
The chat conversations between the two suspects were filed with the documents of the investigation. Over 1800 pages which, according to the deputy prosecutor Sergio Demontis and the substitutes Giovanni Antoci and Giacomo Brandini, were “wisely calibrated” by Candela to “accredit his defensive perspective”.
“It’s not credible”
According to the prosecution, “while it is plausible that Taibbi deceived Candela with reference to his belonging to the secret services and his proximity to important institutional offices (such as the President of the Republic or the Minister of the Interior” it does not appear “in the least credible that he ignored the economic agreements between Taibbi and the entrepreneurs of Tecnologie sanitari spa “.
Taibbi would only look after his interests, other than secret services. For example, by also making the Asp 6 pass, of which Candela was then manager, under the direction of the sole central commissioning unit (the same one headed by Fabio Damiani – also accused – former manager of the ASP of Trapani) . The move, which would have allowed higher earnings to Health Technologies, would have been pushed through the payment of bribes.
“The secret services wanted me”
Candela at first made use of the right not to answer. Then he asked to speak to prosecutors. He said that Taibbi had guaranteed him since November 2016 that he would become a 007. Candela was supposed to go into service on May 1, 2017 (but everything fell apart due to lack of funds) and then May 1 of the following year. Nothing came of it, but Candela believed it.
“Grandpa and beautiful hair”
Candela really believed that the services had noticed the good work they had done in uncovering the malfeasance in the Palermo health system. He believed that Taibbi had a direct relationship with Sergio Matterella, called “the grandfather”, and Marco Minniti, “beautiful hair”.
He believed that “Taliban”, “puppy”, “exhausted” and “cool” were the code names of other agents Taibbi had introduced to him. He believed that Taibbi was on missions in Libya under the nom de guerre “Bagheria” and had also been poisoned with mercury.
The meeting with Musumeci
At the beginning In Candela there was the desire to clean up the Sicilian healthcare. Then came the need to obtain a post when he was not renewed his mandate at the ASP: “On November 18, 2018 the Region appoints the general directors and I was not among the names. I met the president Musumeci at the time president of the Ars anti-mafia commission; the commissioner Razza had given me assurances up to three days earlier, on behalf of Musumeci, that I would be appointed general manager in Catania; I also took a house in Catania “.
“Razza called me …”
And he told some background: “On November 17, 2018 Razza called me and told me that the next day at 3 pm I would have to go to Catania; the carabinieri accompany me to Musumeci who told me that they did not want me in Catania as an uncomfortable person; it is the fate of good people, he told me; he assured me that I would have other appointments and that in the press release he would indicate that I would have other subsequent appointments which then happened (with the appointment to the control room on Covid ed) “.
“An assignment to the ministry”
Months passed without any turning point, in the meantime “in July-August 2019 the President of the Republic would have secured a fixed-term contract in Taibbi at the Ministry of Health … and I continued to believe him … even in December 2019 he told me that two windows for this position at the ministry of health … in January 2020 he sends messages that he is having dinner with the president of the republic … that the interior minister Lamorgese congratulates him … he told me to be patient for the appointment as ministry of health.
It is impossible, according to the indictment, that Candela naively fell into such a trap. The defense is of the opposite opinion.
–
