Eight people are under investigation in the Benevento area over alleged illicit influence peddling linked to recruitment into the Carabinieri, according to a report by NTR24.
The Benevento Prosecutor's Office has issued a notice concluding the preliminary investigations under Article 415-bis of the Italian Code of Criminal Procedure. The eight suspects are being investigated, in various capacities, for alleged complicity in illicit influence peddling.
At the centre of the investigation is an alleged cash payment made to a 76-year-old resident of Telese Terme by an aspiring Carabinieri recruit and the recruit's parents. Investigators allege that the payment was intended to use the older man's claimed institutional contacts to influence the recruitment process.
The aspiring recruit was subsequently enrolled in the Carabinieri.
The Prosecutor's Office states that the investigation found no evidence of involvement by the Carabinieri or by officials responsible for the competitive selection procedures. According to the prosecution, the alleged institutional contacts were unfounded and did not affect the regularity or transparency of the public competitions.
The identities of the eight people under investigation have not been reported, nor has the amount allegedly paid. The case concerns preliminary investigations, and no final judicial finding has been established.
