“We need a real dialogue with the Prosecutor’s Office because in this way Milan is still in a deadlock. We have shown in the last months that we have not turned a deaf ear to the calls, we have shown good faith and corrected some actions. Unfortunately the prosecutors continue to move forward without considering that the justice system does not accept most of their actions and I apologize for that. We need to talk to each other, for the good of Milan we cannot continue the confrontation between deaf people.” Milan Mayor Beppe Sala commented scathingly from Bologna (“which is already experiencing the same problems as us”) regarding yesterday’s Supreme Court decision declaring “unacceptable” the prosecutors’ appeal against the Judicial Review which in mid-August had overturned the house arrest of Coima founder Manfredi Catella, architect and member of the Municipal Landscape Commission Alessandro Scandurra and builder Andrea Bezziccheri, the only one who ended up in prison at the time. But he also dropped disqualification measures against former city regeneration councilor Giancarlo Tancredi, who resigned at the end of July, former Landscape Commission president Giuseppe Marinoni, and manager Federico Pella. Tancredi also served as city manager for a long time, and he was also removed from his position. The theorem alleges and all measurements have been reset. But the seals did not stop, causing anger in the City Government. Among the many files opened since December 2023, two days ago the Prosecutor’s Office added the seizure of seals “by emergency decree” at a construction site in Viale Papiniano, central area. New buildings authorized with “easy permits” (Scia) are always in the spotlight, considered renovations. As a show of “goodwill”, just yesterday the Sala Council approved “remedial actions” against interventions that were already under investigation or that were at risk of ending due to a similar profile. He gave precise instructions to operators – in line with the Prosecutor’s objections – so that they could request adjustments to building permits, unblock or avoid confiscation. And this sets the appropriate boundaries for qualifying an intervention as “renovation”. A move that came after the table was opened by prefect Claudio Sgaraglia with Sala and representatives of Deferred Families, the 4,500 owners of blocked accommodation. But let’s start again: the operator must contact the Prosecutor’s Office to obtain an exemption from confiscation. “The Court of Cassation denies the prosecutor’s orientation – Sala underlined –. Let’s sit down together to understand how to get out of the impasse, also and especially for the families involved. We have tried to involve the prosecutor but I think to date there is no availability”. And he reiterated that national legislation on urban planning was needed “or other cities will end up in chaos”.
Tancredi was “pleased” with the decision of the Court of Cassation, it had “restored some of his dignity, partly compensated for the great pain, I regained confidence in the institution I have always trusted, Italian Justice. I am willing for the Municipality to return to work.”
