In Italy the protection gown affair: investigation into a dubious donation

For Attilio Fontana's conditions, it was a combative speech. On Monday morning, the 68-year-old President of the North joined the Italian Region of Lombardy, i

In Italy the protection gown affair: investigation into a dubious donation

For Attilio Fontana's conditions, it was a combative speech. On Monday morning, the 68-year-old President of the North joined the Italian Region of Lombardy, in front of the Parliament in Milan and defended his honor. "I can not accept that my integrity and that of my family is in doubt," said the politician of the right-nationalist party Lega in front of the deputies. Fontana, the leads since March 2018 to a centre-right coalition in Milan, was his defense speech in a calm tone. The voice he raised only occasionally.

Matthias Rüb

Political correspondent for Italy, the Vatican, Albania and Malta, based in Rome.

F. A. Z.

more vivacious politicians, such as Lega chief Matteo Salvini, had spoken in a situation in which Fontana is currently, in calculated Rage. Because of the suspicion that the prosecutors of Milan have against Fontana, is serious. The investigation should lead to charges against Fontana, this is likely to mean the end of his political career.

the order of 82,000 protective coats including mouth-nose masks for nursing staff in Lombard hospitals in a value of approximately 513.000 euros by the regional government in Milan. And in the middle of April, than in the hard by the pandemic, measures taken, the Region of the Coronavirus particularly bad raged. The contract went to the Dama AG, with its headquarters in Varese, Northwest of Milan. The textile company produces casual clothes for the high demands of the brand Paul Shark, has introduced a number of its production in the pandemic, but in the short term, on protection clothes.

wife is co-owner

The grant of a Eilauftrags the public without a tender at the time was lawful and reasonable, because, in Lombardy as in the rest of the country the state of emergency was (and still is), and it is everywhere on protective equipment for Doctors and nurses was missing. The main shareholder of the former family business Fontana's brother-in-law, Andrea Dini is. Fontana's wife, Roberta Dini holds ten percent of the shares in the company.

The now widely considered to be "protective coat affair" known matter came up at the beginning of may through the research of public-service television broadcaster, Rai Tre and the populist left-wing daily newspaper "Il Fatto Quotidiano" to the roles. The investigations of the prosecutors aim to not only Fontana, but also on the entrepreneur Andrea Dini, as well as two high-ranking officials in the administration of the Lombardy Region.

Fontana responded to the revelations with the statement that he knew of the issuance of the order to the Dama AG, nothing. As he had been informed, he asked his brother-in-law, to fulfill the delivery order as a donation. A specified payment to the regional government, had been cancelled. A Bank Transfer from his private account at a Swiss Bank in the amount of 250,000 euros to the company was because he wanted to participate in the donation of Dama AG for the difficult certified medical staff of the Lombardy personally have said Fontana.

Date Of Update: 27 July 2020, 23:19