Home » News » Mask scam Antonello Ieffi, the first arrest for Covid

Mask scam Antonello Ieffi, the first arrest for Covid

Taking advantage of the coronavirus emergency to defraud the state and winning a contract worth more than 15 million euros for the supply of 24 million masks cost the casual businessman Antonello Ieffi, 42, arrested Thursday morning by the investigators of the Economic Police Unit – financial of the Guardia di Finanza of Rome. The investigation carried out in a very short time by the Prosecutor’s Office of the capital has unmasked, in twenty days, the operation put in place to circumvent the rules and participate in the tender through a screen company completely unable to secure the goods and deliver them to the hospitals in time required. Without even the money to pay it. Hence the allegations of auction disturbance and failure to fulfill a public contract for the suspect who, once he lost the contract after Consip’s complaint, was organizing with another ghost company to win another public tender: over 64 million for other medical material.

Gambling on public health

Faced with a pandemic that has already caused nearly 140,000 infections and over 17,000 deaths, the state had to resort to special procedures for medical supplies, playing mainly on two factors to decide who to entrust the contracts quickly and guaranteeing the services: the delivery time and capacity. «Two tables – accuses the judge of the preliminary investigation Valerio Savio in the order of arrest – on which the suspect appears to have gambled … A gamble played on public health and on the individual health of those who waited, and waits , the masks ». On March 12, the Biocrea company (which Ieffi owned until February 19, when he sold the shares to the forty-year-old Stefania Verduci, investigated for the same crimes, through a sale that the prosecution considers fictitious) won the tender for the supply of over 24 million masks, for the total amount of 15 million and 800,000 euros, making the most advantageous offer. With the obligation to supply the first 3 million copies within 3 days of the order, namely March 16.

The phantom load

Heavy effort for a company that as a company name declared “cultivation of funds, animal breeding” and other agricultural activities. And when Consip’s first solicitations arrived on March 16, Ieffi began to make excuses. Communicating the planning of a flight, of the Asiana cargo, ready to depart from the Chinese airport of Guangzhou Baiyun to Malpensa. At the same time, Iezzi wrote to Foreign Minister Lugi Di Maio, asking for “help in solving an unspecified problem related to the import of the masks”. Subsequent investigations by Consip verified that the selling company was an established company, reached through the intermediation of two companies (one with registered office in Qatar) of which Iezzi himself was a partner. That when he had to justify the delay in delivering the material, he explained that he could not pay suppliers “for reasons of force majeure”: the Qatari authorities had blocked his current accounts. At that point, a verification was arranged through the Customs Agency which revealed that at the Guangzhou Baiyun airport there was no trace of the promised masks.

Naughty and reckless action

On March 20, Consip revoked the contract and filed a complaint with the Prosecutor of Rome, and the investigation coordinated by Deputy Prosecutor Paolo Ielo uncovered many other behind the scenes of the “reckless and reckless action” attempted by Ieffi. Who had failed to declare that Biocrea had behind the tax violations for over 150,000 which, if they emerged, would have excluded the company from the tender. And the fictitious transfer of the shares to the “accomplice” Stefania Verucci served to hide the existence of investigations against her (for fraud and auction disturbance) which would have constituted a further obstacle. A “lying silence” that has become “fraudulent means of obtaining the award of the supply”, now transformed by prosecutors and magistrates in the charge of auction disturbance. In addition, two of Ieffi’s partners in one of the brokerage companies are involved in proceedings for drug dealing and money laundering aggravated by aiding the Mafia.

«Hopefully they’ll readmit us to the race»

How the “unscrupulous” entrepreneur intended to proceed is difficult to say; surely, after being excluded from the contract for masks, he tried to participate with the company Dental Express H24 in a second tender for the supply of sterile gloves, goggles and protective suits and gowns, worth over 64 million of Euro. And when he was excluded, because the woman who was the sole director of the company had been convicted of concealing and destroying accounting documents, she tried to backdate the exclusion of the lady in February, so as to appeal and return to the race. The eavesdropping carried out by the Finance investigators confirmed Ieffi’s project, who spoke these phrases with the interlocutor: «We were put first also in the lab coats which was the biggest lot … from 67 million … I have been importing photovoltaics from China for years … when there was an emergency I called the companies already … I know exaggeratedly large numbers so … I said, why don’t we try? … We can go into anything that is not masks … I found these other factories, always there in China, colleagues of mine, who make gloves … I am dealing with it but it is hard work … I also made a race to the bottom … I took our prices offered, I lowered them by thirty percent … The quantities, a a little higher, for the lowered price it is thirty one million five and eighty five … and we have, in theory, awarded fifty million … We hope that they will readmit us to the race … it will last a little but it will last … for the moment .

The choice of prison

Once again, the prosecutor accused the judge “participated in the tender for urgent supplies for the public administration not only not yet having the availability of the goods to be delivered, but also in this case without still having suitable contractual commitments in hand guarantee it within the limited time required ». Trying to “be readmitted by falsifying cards”, and once again through a company it turned out to be an “empty box”, without any ability to quickly obtain the materials or structures to make the necessary payments. Hence the decision to send Ieffi to prison as requested by the Prosecutor, despite the tendency to reduce arrests in the cell precisely by virtue of the coronavirus emergency. But the risk of recurrence of the crime shown by the wiretapping carried out just a week ago, on April 2, was considered too high for the granting of house arrest. Like that of evidence pollution.


April 9, 2020 (change April 9, 2020 | 10:05)

© RESERVED REPRODUCTION

– .

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.