The contacts Giovanni Castellucci’s institutional “in very high level environments” to “mend good relations with the government”, cited by the investigating judge Paola Faggioni in the arrest order, are enriched with a new chapter. If in October 2018, while Parliament is discussing the Genoa decree that excludes Aspi from the reconstruction of the bridge, paying it the 220 million costs, Castellucci puts 150 million on the plate to save the Genoese bank Carige and the Ligurian governor Toti offers him his “moral suasion “as” ambassador “with Salvini and Giorgetti, in the following months the bargaining chip becomes Alitalia. Castellucci negotiates an investment of 350 million with the government, in exchange for the grave and friendly armor plating of the motorway concession.
Yesterday, after the denial of the Infrastructure colleague Paola De Micheli, the owner of Economic Development Stefano Patuanelli admitted that he was “the minister who asked me to see me” quoted by Castellucci in a phone call intercepted on 24 October 2019. Castellucic, in that moment came out of both Aspi and the parent company Atlantia, talks to Joerg Eberhart, director of Air Dolomiti, a company controlled by Lufthansa, and asks for a prior approval for any top management roles in Alitalia, in order to present him in the upcoming meeting to the minister who “At the beginning he asked me to help him on Alitalia and if I was available”.
Now Patuanelli confirms that he had met Castellucci and “had talked about Alitalia”, denying however “that he had given him any mandate and had never offered him any assignment”. When? In the period in which “Atlantia was part of the consortium that was to take over Alitalia”. But “Castellucci also spoke with Lufthansa for some time after his departure from Atlantia”.
Let’s put the dates and circumstances in order. Atlantia opens the Alitalia dossier in the spring of 2019. The M5S-Lega team is in charge, the Minister of Development is Luigi Di Maio. In April Castellucci explicitly spoke of it in the shareholders’ meeting, subordinating the investment to the closure of the “many open fronts” with the government.
In mid-July Ferrovie chooses Atlantia as a partner. Di Maio, who had accused the Benettons of being “marauders” promising to “uncover all the rottenness” of Autostrade, rejoices: “We have laid the foundations for the relaunch of the company”. But after a month the government falls. On 5 September the Count bis swears, Patuanelli takes the place of Di Maio. A week later, nine Autostrade managers and technicians are struck by precautionary measures. «Dismayed» by the Benettons, Castellucci leaves Atlantia with 13 million in severance pay. The new leaders write to Patuanelli on 3 October, explaining the unwillingness to join Alitalia in the absence of “certainty” about the Aspi concession.
Therefore, Patuanelli minister and Castellucci administrator of Atlantia were able to meet in a limited period, between 5 and 13 September. Before, Patuanelli was not a minister. After that, Castellucci was out of Atlantia. It is therefore not clear why the minister wanted to see Castellucci on October 24, more than a month later. Nor is the timing of previous meetings known. Of course, as emerges from the interceptions, Castellucci was no longer the “black man” for the grillini. He also saw the senator of the M5S Giulia Lupo, former Alitalia hostess, who confirmed the meetings starting from the summer, in the middle of the negotiations, “because dealing with the reform of air transport I am a reference on the Alitalia issue”. But he denies any mention of Autostrade, “otherwise I would have got up and gone”.
Waiting to know what grillini thinks like the former minister Toninelli, who spoke of “messes” about the Toti-Castellucci phone call, new episodes could be added thanks to the investigations of the Genoa prosecutor.
Two years later, the Castellucci method achieved a series of results for Benetton and partners: the revocation of the concession disappeared from the scene; government and Atlantia negotiate an agreed solution; airport concessions have been extended; the new agency that was supposed to unmask Autostrade’s decades-long flaws, thanks to tripartisan inertia, is still sleeping soundly.
Without putting a euro. Neither in Carige nor in Alitalia.
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