ROME -- Following the order of the preliminary investigation magistrate (GIP), 24 arrests have been made by the financial police of Rome as well as numerous arrest warrants, the GIP announced on Monday. The charges made are for criminal association for the purposes of fiscal fraud, corruption and money laundering, as well as defrauding of the state and misappropriation of funds.

 Member of Parliament Antonio Marotta, who is reportedly also a lawyer, is being investigated for his involvement in the scandal. He is assumed to have unlawful links with the intermediary who is at the centre of the same investigation, Raffaele Pizza, whose brother, Giuseppe Pizza, was previously under-secretary for education and is now national secretary for the Christian Democratic Party.

 The Roman Magistrate has delivered 24 orders for arrest warrants, of which 12 are in prison, 12 are under house arrest and an additional five are not permitted to leave the country without giving an official signature. In addition, the magistrate has ordered the preventative seizing of real estate assets, current accounts and company shares, all of which totals 1.5 million euros.

 During the inquiry, which was performed by the Special Currency Police Unit of the Financial Police (GDF) and which originated from the signalling of suspicious financial operations, it was determined that a large number of invoices were being created for non-existent operations to benefit various Italian companies, as well as significant sums of money being transferred between personal and business accounts.

 According to the Financial Police, the intermediary was using an office based next to Parliament in a well-known street in Rome, where he received, hid and passed on money from illegal sources. He was allegedly working in collaboration with the Marotta, who actively assisted the intermediary with the illegal activity.

se