Pd, ties with the Camorra: earthquake in Campania, who is expelled from the party | Libero Quotidiano.it

The council of Castellammare di Stabia no longer exists; the Municipality led by mayor Luigi Vicinanza has been placed under commissioner. But the internal struggle within the Democratic Party has just begun. To try and save the situation (now, clearly, past the point of no return) secretary Elly Schlein has appointed deputy Arturo Scotto as the new party commissioner at the local level.

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And he chose the only possible path: to expel all Democratic exponents involved in the dissolution of the administration due to suspected Camorra infiltrations. The first two to come under fire were Roberto Elefante – the PD’s top vote-getter in the 2024 elections – and group leader Giusy Amato.

REPORTS

In the 400 pages of the report drafted by deputy prefect Dario Annunziata, deputy police commissioner Riccardo Buonomo, and Carabinieri captain Vittorio Tesoro, close ties emerge between several majority and opposition councillors and the D’Alessandro and Cesarano clans. Mixtures of criminality and politics are detected at every level, from waste collection to funeral services, from school catering to other contracts awarded to obscure companies or managed by relatives and friends.

Elefante himself, former president of the Municipal Council, is said to be «immersed in a dense and systematic network of relationships that sees his professional and entrepreneurial activity overlap with individuals and interests directly attributable to organized crime». Equally complicated is the position of PD member Giusy Amato: the document sent to the Ministry highlights how her wedding witness was Antonio Poziello, former mayor of Giugliano, accused of political-mafia exchange. At the very least, inconvenient acquaintances.

The dossier also mentions the case of the appointment of numerous scrutineers, who turned out to have criminal records and ties to the D’Alessandro clan. Also under observation are the electoral flows that led to the election of the two Democratic councillors. Both, in fact, are said to have gathered numerous preferences in the heart of the Cesarano territory. In extremis, Elefante and Amato announced their intention to self-suspend. Scotto had in fact announced their expulsion; the two nevertheless wanted to reiterate their «total extraneousness to any fact, conduct or criminal link». The now former councillors have no intention of giving up, so much so that they have announced lawsuits regarding the content of the dossier produced by the Ministry of Interior.

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The councillors of Ercolano Nancy Scognamiglio and Marco Cozzolino have self-suspended, but have not yet been expelled. The two, together with the former city coordinator Antonello Cozzolino (placed under commissioner and replaced by regional councillor Giorgio Zinno), had been filmed in a restaurant celebrating their election with Natale Suarino, a multi-convicted individual close to the Ascione-Papale clan. The three asked the administration and the regional secretariat of the PD to be heard by the “Legality Pool” established by the Democratic mayor Antonietta Garzia. A team – whose powers are not yet entirely clear – which includes former mayor Nino Daniele, MEP Sandro Ruotolo, former policeman Antonio Borrelli, and journalist Paolo Siani.

Meanwhile, on social media, Scognamiglio and Cozzolino signed a post in which they defend themselves: «From those images it was deduced that two newly elected municipal councillors have a relationship with the organized crime of this city. That relationship does not exist! Being in the same room is not a relationship».

The former city secretary, regarding the dinner at the pizzeria, spoke instead of «reconstructions that proved to be inaccurate». Regarding the presence of the man linked to the clan, he wanted to specify: «Mr. Natale Suarino, present in the pizzeria, had criminal records dating back about thirty years, for which he obtained the rehabilitation provided by the legal system, and today fully enjoys civil and political rights».

STUDY

The surname “Suarino” however appears again in relation to the current city majority. And this time, Mayor Garzia is involved. According to what has emerged, the premises where her law firm is located are owned by a member of the Suarino family. The mayor’s reply was blunt after the news spread: «I have been her tenant since 2023. He is a young man with no criminal record, with no ties to criminals. He is willing to report anyone who links him to that branch of his family». Despite the troubles within the PD, for now, the Ercolano council continues.

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