Venice Mayor Arrested in Corruption Probe

Venice mayor Giorgio Orsoni and other 35 people have been arrested over claims of bribery during the public tender process of the cities flood barriers, known as the Moses project.

The suspects are accused of channelling EUR 20 M away from public funds for the project, which has taken 11 years to complete due to the economic crisis, to foreign bank accounts. They are also accused of using it to fund political parties.

The Ansa news agency reported that the mayor is under house arrest as the probe commences. His lawyers have told AFP that the claims of corruption are "hardly credible".

Former mayor and ex-Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's aide Giancarlo Galan has also been sought by the authorities, however, as he is an MP for the centre-right Forza Italia party, he is currently protected by parliamentary immunity.

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