Ettore Prandini – president of Coldiretti and its foundation ‘observatory on crime in agriculture and the agri-food system’ – obtained a Porsche confiscated and assigned for free use to the so-called ‘Agromafie Observatory’ by former director general of the Excise, Customs and Monopolies Agency Marcello Minenna. #CleanSpades.
1) District Anti-Mafia Directorate, the investigation.
The Prosecutor’s Office at the Court of Forlì, in synergy with the DDA (District Anti-Mafia Directorate) of Bologna, on June 22, 2023 ordered the arrest of Marcello Minenna – now councillor for the Environment, Participated Companies, Unified Planning and Strategic Projects of the Region of Calabria (formerly Councillor for Budget, Patrimony, Participated Companies, Social Policies and Spending Review of Roma Capitale under the junta of Virginia Raggi).
‘The investigation concerns various corruption incidents and stemmed from an investigation into mask procurement and drug trafficking.’ (1)
Marcello Minenna was arrested along with former Lega parliamentarian Gianluca Pini and 32 officials from the Ravenna prefecture and AUSL Romagna, then kept under house arrest until July 7, 2023, when he was released. (2) According to investigators, the former director general of the Customs Agency (2020-2023, under the governments of Giuseppe Conte and Mario Draghi) would have favored the import from China of a huge shipment of masks with false certifications, (3) in the Covid era, which the Leghist politician would then supply to the AUSL Romagna realizing a 3.5 million euro scam.
2) Coldiretti and former directors of the Excise, Customs and Monopolies Agency.
Investigations by the Forli prosecutor’s office have uncovered the modus operandi of former Customs Agency (ADM) director general Marcello Minenna, who allegedly bestowed undue favors on a number of ‘leading figures’ in the transversal powers that plague Italy.
Included in this line of inquiry is the Porsche entrusted for use by Marcello Minenna, on behalf of ADM, to Coldiretti’s ‘observatory on crime in agriculture and the agri-food system‘ foundation.
Coldiretti, which his ‘boss of bosses’ Vincenzo Gesmundo claims has the ‘right/duty to replace institutions’, has a feeling particular with ADM’s general managers. In fact, another ‘former’ – Giuseppe Peleggi, himself challenged for an open competition annulled by the TAR – became ‘head of technological innovation area’ at Palazzo Rospigliosi (4.5).
3) Coldiretti, the Agromafie Observatory and the confiscated Porsche.
The contract signed on Nov. 10, 2021, between Marcello Minenna and Ettore Prandini, in their respective roles as director general of ADM and president of Coldiretti’s AgroMafie Observatory, has reached our editorial office (see Appendix). And it is worthy of attention already in the introduction, where it refers to the possibility for Customs to
➡️ assign seized property ‘
to another state administration
according to the specific conventional scheme specially constituted‘.
Coldiretti’s ‘observatory on crime in agriculture and the agribusiness system‘ foundation, however, is not a ‘state administration.’ And Ettore Prandini, who appears to have signed the contract, could not have been unaware of the difference between a state body and a private law foundation. All the more so as a law graduate, as well as the son of a former minister with a long political career behind him (6.7).
4) The contract
Thus, the Agromafie Observatory received free use for two years, with a renewable contract, of a luxury sports car that ADM was instead supposed to sell in order to return the proceeds of illegal activities to the Treasury. In the awareness of:
- have no title to receive the property, the entrustment of which is expressly reserved for state administrations (see supra, para. 3),
- not be plausible the justification inferred in the contract (‘no auction procedures for the vehicle are currently immediately available‘).
The board of directors of the Agromafie Observatory that is supposed to have agreed to this operation consists of Ettore Prandini, Vincenzo Gesmundo and Raffaele Grandolini. That is, the president, the chief of chiefs and the King Midas of Coldiretti. (8)
5) Agromafie Observatory
The scientific committee of Coldiretti’s Agromafie Observatory sees the participation of the same protagonists of ‘Mani Pulite’ – Gherardo Colombo (now also president of UE.Coop of Coldiretti) and Giancarlo Caselli – as well as prosecutors general, councillors of the Court of Cassation and the Council of State, prosecutors and deputy prosecutors, the National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor himself and several of his deputies, dozens of senior magistrates including retired ones, generals and senior officers of the Carabinieri, the GdF and the Revenue Agency, prefects and quaestors, MiPAAF executives including the chief inspector of ICQRF, etc. now also Professor Bernardo Giorgio Mattarella, grandson of the president of the Italian Republic.
But what does it observe, this ‘Observatory’? And the honored members of its scientific committee, have they ever tried to understand how Coldiretti’s magic circle works? It would suffice to start with the Porsche case and perhaps follow some insights humbly offered on this site, following the keywords ‘Clean Spades‘. And put an end once and for all to this colossal mockery of Italian farmers and ranchers, the real victims of a multifaceted organization that is supposed to represent them and has instead reduced them to starvation, as well as speculating on them (8,9,11,12).
Dario Dongo
Attachment
Contract Nov. 10, 2021 between Marcello Minenna and Ettore Prandini, in their respective roles as director general of ADM and president of Coldiretti’s AgroMafie Observatory
Notes
(1) Who is Marcello Minenna, former head of the Customs Agency arrested for the mask investigation. https://www.tag24.it/676137-chi-e-marcello-minenna/ Tag 24 UniCusano. 22.6.23
(2) Corruption, Minenna and Pini arrested. The prosecutor: “Pactum sceleris.” https://www.ansa.it/sito/notizie/cronaca/2023/06/22/arrestati-minenna-e-pini.-pm-pactum-sceleris_151ad4bc-03f2-4f7b-ba1d-78a11ebb5219.html ANSA, Bologna newsroom. 24.6.23
(3) Dario Dongo. Covid-19 and masks, the ABCs. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 19.3.20
(4) Dario Dongo. Public administration, loyalty to the state or to Coldiretti? #CleanSpades. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 27.6.21
(5) DirPubblica, Civil Service Federation. Letter from the secretary general to Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, 4/28/15. https://www.dirpubblica.it/public/allegati/1770/20150428_a_Renzi_.pdf
(6) Coldiretti, Ettore Prandini elected national president. https://www.coldiretti.it/economia/ettore-prandini Coldiretti. 7.11.18
(7) John Prandini died; he was in the “Gang of Four” of the Andreotti government. Then he was swept up in the Mani Pulite investigation. https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2018/03/12/morto-giovanni-prandini-era-nella-banda-dei-quattro-del-governo-andreotti-poi-fu-travolto-dallinchiesta-mani-pulite/4219987/amp/ The Daily Fact. 12.5.18
(8) Dario Dongo. Federconsorzi 2, CAI SpA, AgriRevi, Coldiretti. The dinner of jerks. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 31.1.21
(9) See section ‘Extortion‘ in previous article by Dario Dongo. Malfeasance against farmers and tax evasion, Campagna Amica continues. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 10.9.21
(10) See section ‘Interim Conclusions‘ in previous article by Dario Dongo. CAA, Council of State rejects freelancers. #CleanSpades. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 1.4.22
(11) Dario Dongo. Germina Campus, Coldiretti’s holding company speculating on farmers. #CleanSpades. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 13.6.21
(12) Dario Dongo. AgriCorpoFiasco, Federconsorzi 2, Agriconfidi. The collapse of the ‘Gesmundo pyramid’. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 17.12.22
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
