A major investigation on an alleged corruption scheme linked to a project to block tidal flows in Venice has extended in the number of suspects and size of grafts, local reports said on Tuesday.
As much as 1 billion euros (1.4 billion U.S. dollars), almost 20 percent of the state funds so far spent on Mose, a project to build mobile barriers in Venice, may have been used as bribery, according to top officials who were arrested in the probe and questioned by police.
The suspects told investigators the alleged bribes network included a number of high-profile members in the center-right party (FI) of three-time premier Silvio Berlusconi, according to ANSA news agency.
Berlusconi's lawyer Niccolo Ghedini, the House whip of FI Renato Brunetta, longtime advisor to Berlusconi Gianni Letta and former economy minister in the Berlusconi's government Giulio Tremonti were cited to be in connection to the scheme. All of them denied the allegations on Tuesday.
Last week, around 100 people involving top officials from various parties of the Italian political spectrum were put under investigation and 35 were detained in the probe, including Venice Mayor Giorgio Orsoni.
The public prosecutor's office also requested the arrest of former head of Veneto region, of which Venice is the capital, Giancarlo Galan. The former agriculture minister and culture minister under the governments of Berlusconi has also denied any wrongdoing.
"We are pursuing several investigative lines .. the investigation has not ended with the arrest warrants," lead prosecutor in Venice Carlo Nordio was quoted as saying in a recent interview with Il Messaggero newspaper. He defined the figures as "stratospheric."
The arrests came weeks after a similar corruption network linked to public contracts for the upcoming 2015 world exposition in Milan was uncovered in another probe involving politicians, top officials and even police.
The scandals, which local think tanks said have strongly damaged the country's reputation at the international level, have prompted Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to pledge stricter measures to fight corruption.
Renzi said anyone found to have taken or handed out bribes should be banned forever from politics, while politicians probed for corruption should be charged with "high treason."
