logo
Prosecutors seek arrest of Coima boss and others in Milan property planning probe

Prosecutors seek arrest of Coima boss and others in Milan property planning probe

Straits Times16-07-2025
Find out what's new on ST website and app.
MILAN - Prosecutors on Wednesday sought the arrest of Milan's councillor for urban planning, the head of real estate firm Coima and four others as part of investigations into planning permits that have led to a construction freeze in Italy's financial capital.
The Milan property market began booming in 2015, when the Expo international exhibition helped to transform the city into a hot spot for developers from Italy and abroad.
But complaints from local residents objecting to a sharp increase in multi-storey buildings triggered investigations into alleged abuses in the fast-tracking of building permits, stalling construction activity.
Manfredi Catella, founder of Coima, one of Italy's biggest developers, and Giancarlo Tancredi, a member of the Milan city council, are under investigation for bribery, according to the summons to a preliminary questioning reviewed by Reuters.
The pair, along with the other four people, will have to appear on July 23 before a judge, who will decide whether to arrest them or not.
A statement from the Milan Prosecutor's Office on Wednesday said Guardia di Finanza police at the same time carried out "24 personal and home searches" on as many people suspected of "corruption and forgery". It did not give further detail.
Spokespeople for Tancredi and for the Milan municipality declined to comment. Coima representatives were not immediately available for comment.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore Over 600 Telegram groups in Singapore selling, advertising vapes removed by HSA
Singapore 2 weeks' jail for man caught smuggling over 1,800 vapes and pods into Singapore
Singapore Jail for man who fatally hit his daughter, 2, while driving van without licence
Singapore Primary 1 registration: 38 primary schools to conduct ballot in Phase 2A
Singapore ComfortDelGro to introduce new taxi cancellation, waiting fee policy
Singapore Here comes the sun: Less rain, more warm days in second half of July
Singapore Instead of overcomplicating COE system, Govt has ensured affordable transport for all: SM Lee to Jamus Lim
Singapore Baby died after mum took abortion pills and gave birth in toilet; coroner records an open verdict
According to the latest prosecutor's documents, award-winning architect Stefano Boeri was also named among those under investigation.
A lawyer representing both Catella and Boeri did not reply to a request for comment emailed by Reuters.
According to the court documents seen by Reuters on Wednesday, prosecutors said investigations related to the largest urban planning projects in Milan, "have brought to light a 'system'....whose purpose is to facilitate the issuance of illegal building permits and to carry out highly speculative real estate transactions".
In February, Boeri, best known for his "Bosco Verticale" (Vertical Forest) apartment project in the city, was banned from working with the public administration by a judge in connection with another urban planning probe. REUTERS
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Three people killed in train crash in Germany, police say
Three people killed in train crash in Germany, police say

Straits Times

time8 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

Three people killed in train crash in Germany, police say

Find out what's new on ST website and app. Three people were killed and others seriously injured when a passenger train derailed in southwestern Germany on Sunday, police said in a statement. There were around 100 people on board, police in the city of Stuttgart said, adding that two carriages had left the tracks between the towns of Riedlingen and Munderkingen. The train was on a roughly 90 km (55 mile) route between Sigmaringen and Ulm, a police spokesperson said earlier on Sunday. The cause of the crash was under investigation, the police statement said. A picture by German news agency DPA showed carriages largely intact but jackknifed into each other and rolled onto their sides. REUTERS

Several killed in train crash in Germany, media say
Several killed in train crash in Germany, media say

Straits Times

time38 minutes ago

  • Straits Times

Several killed in train crash in Germany, media say

Find out what's new on ST website and app. Rescue forces work at the site of a derailed train near Riedlingen near Biberach, on July 27. RIEDLINGEN - At least three people were injured when a regional train carrying about 100 passengers derailed in southwestern Germany on Sunday, police said. German media reported that several people had been killed. 'The accident occurred at around 6:10 pm (1710 GMT) near the town of Riedlingen in Baden-Wuerttemberg state,' a police spokesperson told AFP. 'At least three people were injured,' the spokesperson added, without elaborating on the severity of the injuries. According to German daily Bild, the passenger train was travelling from the German town of Sigmaringen to the city of Ulm when at least two train carriages derailed in a wooded area. Footage from the scene of the accident showed yellow-and-grey-coloured train carriages lying on their sides, as firefighters and emergency services were trying to gain access to the passengers. It was not immediately clear what had caused the accident. AFP Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Sewage shaft failure linked to sinkhole; PUB calling safety time-out on similar works islandwide Singapore Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole did not happen overnight: Experts Singapore Workers used nylon rope to rescue driver of car that fell into Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole Asia Singapore-only car washes will get business licences revoked, says Johor govt World Food airdropped into Gaza as Israel opens aid routes Sport Arsenal beat Newcastle in five-goal thriller to bring Singapore Festival of Football to a close Singapore Benchmark barrier: Six of her homeschooled kids had to retake the PSLE Asia S'porean trainee doctor in Melbourne arrested for allegedly filming colleagues in toilets since 2021

Epstein furor undermining public trust, Republican election hopes, two US lawmakers say
Epstein furor undermining public trust, Republican election hopes, two US lawmakers say

Straits Times

time2 hours ago

  • Straits Times

Epstein furor undermining public trust, Republican election hopes, two US lawmakers say

FILE PHOTO: A screen about the Jeffrey Epstein files is displayed at Times Square in New York City, U.S., July 23, 2025. REUTERS/Jeenah Moon/File Photo WASHINGTON - The uproar over disgraced financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein could undermine public trust in the Trump administration, as well as Republican hopes of retaining control of Congress in the 2026 midterm elections, two U.S. lawmakers said on Sunday. Republican Representative Thomas Massie and Democratic Representative Ro Khanna, who want the House of Representatives to vote on their bipartisan resolution requiring full release of the government's Epstein files, said the lack of transparency is reinforcing public perceptions that the rich and powerful live beyond the reach of the judicial system. "This is going to hurt Republicans in the midterms. The voters will be apathetic if we don't hold the rich and powerful accountable," Massie, a hardline conservative from Kentucky, told NBC's "Meet the Press" program. Republicans hope to add to their current 219-212 House majority -- with four seats currently vacant -- and 53-47 Senate majority in November 2026, although the U.S. political cycle traditionally punishes the party of the sitting president during midterm elections. Khanna said Attorney General Pam Bondi triggered "a crisis of trust" by saying there was no list of Epstein clients after previously implying that one existed. The change in position unleashed a tsunami of calls for her resignation from Trump's MAGA base. "This is about trust in government," the California Democrat told "Meet the Press." "This is about being a reform agent of transparency." President Donald Trump, who is playing golf and holding bilateral trade talks in Scotland, has been frustrated by continued questions about his administration's handling of investigative files related to Epstein's criminal charges and 2019 death by suicide in prison. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Sewage shaft failure linked to sinkhole; PUB calling safety time-out on similar works islandwide Singapore Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole did not happen overnight: Experts Singapore Workers used nylon rope to rescue driver of car that fell into Tanjong Katong Road sinkhole Asia Singapore-only car washes will get business licences revoked, says Johor govt World Food airdropped into Gaza as Israel opens aid routes Sport Arsenal beat Newcastle in five-goal thriller to bring Singapore Festival of Football to a close Singapore Benchmark barrier: Six of her homeschooled kids had to retake the PSLE Asia S'porean trainee doctor in Melbourne arrested for allegedly filming colleagues in toilets since 2021 Massie and Khanna believe they can win enough support from fellow lawmakers to force a vote on their resolution when Congress returns from its summer recess in September. But they face opposition from Republican leaders including House Speaker Mike Johnson, who sent lawmakers home a day early to stymie Democratic efforts to force a vote before the break. Johnson, who also appeared on NBC's "Meet the Press," said he favors a non-binding alternative resolution that calls for release of "credible" evidence, but which he said would better protect victims including minors. "The Massie and Khanna discharge petition is reckless in the way that it is drafted and presented," Johnson said. "It does not adequately include those protections." Massie dismissed Johnson's claim as "a straw man" excuse. "Ro and I carefully crafted this legislation so that the victims' names will be redacted," he said. "They're hiding behind that." Trump, who weathered two impeachments and a federal probe into contacts between his 2016 campaign and Russia during his first presidential term, has tried and failed so far to distract attention from the Epstein controversy six months into his second term. On Saturday, Trump repeated his claims without evidence that 2024 Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris and other Democrats should be prosecuted over payment for endorsements from celebrities including Oprah Winfrey, Beyonce and the Reverend Al Sharpton. "Kamala, and all of those that received Endorsement money, BROKE THE LAW. They should all be prosecuted!" Trump said on social media. Last week he accused former President Barack Obama of "treason" over how the Obama administration treated intelligence about Russian interference in U.S. elections nine years ago, drawing a rebuke from an Obama spokesperson. Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, a staunch Trump ally, said on Sunday that Tulsi Gabbard, Trump's director of national intelligence, had found new information that investigators initially discovered no evidence of Russian election interference but changed their position after Obama told them to keep looking. "I'm not alleging he committed treason, but I am saying it bothers me," Graham told "Meet the Press." "The best way to handle this is if there is evidence of a crime being committed, or suspected evidence of a crime being committed, create a special counsel to look at it," Graham added. Democratic Representative Jason Crow dismissed Gabbard's claims, telling the "Fox News Sunday" program that the national intelligence director had turned herself into "a weapon of mass distraction." The Department of Justice has said it is forming a strike force to assess Gabbard's claims. REUTERS

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store