Architects Boeri and Zucchi to stand trial in university competition scandal

MILAN- Star architects Stefano Boeri and Cino Zucchi have been called to stand trial over alleged irregularities in the international competition for the new European Library of Information and Culture, according to judicial sources. 

The decision was announced following a preliminary hearing with judge Fabrizio Filice, who has also committed four other professionals to trial. The first hearing is set for April 17, according to sources quoted by Il Fatto Quotidiano. 

Boeri and Zucchi are architects and professors at the Polytechnic University of Milan facing charges of bid rigging and false declarations regarding conflicts of interest. The case is related to the July 2022 award of the design tender for the Beic project, a major cultural initiative promoted by the Municipality of Milan.

Prosecutors Giancarla Serafini and Paolo Filippini have alleged that the two architects failed to declare potential conflicts of interest throughout their respective service as President and member of the Awarding Commission. Allegations of nepotism have been further fuelled by the number of former students and professional associates included within the winning consortium. This includes Raffaele Lunati and Giancarlo Floridi, researchers at the Faculty of Architecture, and Pier Paolo Tamburelli of the firm Baukuh, all of whom are facing trial. 

Investigators within Milan’s Economic and Financial Police Unit have alleged that private chat messages suggest prior agreements to sway the outcome of the competition. Prosecutors have presented evidence that Tamburelli acted as a facilitator between the two professors and the competition winners throughout the evaluation process. 

The defence, however, disputes such claims, maintaining that the competition was conducted without bias. Representatives of the defendants assert that submissions were assessed anonymously and that the competition rules required disclosure of conflicts of interest only in the case of ongoing economic collaborations. As such, all parties deny any unlawful agreements or preferential treatment.

Earlier in the investigation, on February 18 2025, investigating judge Luigi Lannelli declined the request from prosecutors to place Boeri, Zucchi and Tamburelli under house arrest. Instead, Lannelli imposed a number of temporary disqualification measures, ranging from eight months to one year, barring the defendants from serving on public competition panels or collaborating with the public administration.

This marks the latest in a series of nepotism scandals at leading Italian universities, suggesting that conflicts of interest may extend beyond individuals to institutions. It raises a pressing question of what concrete measures universities can adopt to prevent such crises, or whether nepotism remains embedded within the Italian higher education system itself.