Adoptions: illegal immigration and corruption Aibi investigated by the anti-mafia prosecutor's office

Source: gatti.blogautore.espresso.repubblica.it

Publication date: 26 February 2018

Feb. 26Adoptions: illegal immigration and corruption Aibi investigated by the anti-mafia prosecutor's office

CHILDREN'S FRIENDS Premier Paolo Gentiloni, Catholic right-wing leader Carlo Giovanardi and undersecretary Maria Elena Boschi have supported Aibi's return to the Commission for Adoptions

CHILDREN'S FRIENDS Premier Paolo Gentiloni, the Catholic right-wing leader Carlo Giovanardi, the undersecretary Maria Elena Boschi: they promoted the return of Aibi in the world of adoptions

The president of the institution representing the State, Marco Griffini, his wife and daughter are also under investigation for criminal association and maltreatment of minors. A few days ago, Minister Poletti appointed Griffini in the National Council of the Third Sector, as a substitute member of Renzi's "banker". Clash between the Pm and the Court of Milan: the judge denies the wiretapping and the magistrates of the DDA are forced to request archiving. But the opposition of Italian parents, who without their knowledge adopted children torn from their families in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, reopens the case

PRIMA PUNTATA

Ilda Boccassini, deputy prosecutor in Milan

The magistrate Ilda Boccassini

The Milan prosecutors denied supporters ofthe association "Aibi-Amici dei bambini", the transversal party that joined Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, the undersecretary to the Council Presidency Maria Elena Boschi, the Catholic right leader Carlo Giovanardi, as well as representatives of the PDL, the League and the 5 Star Movement . The president of the institution representing the Italian state in international adoptions, Marco Griffini, 70, his wife Irene Bertuzzi, 68, who is the managing director and his daughter Valentina Griffini, 35, were registered by the District Directorate antimafia di Milano in the register of suspects for aggravated criminal association (article 416 of the penal code, paragraph 6 and article 4 of law 146/2006), aiding the profit of illegal immigration with the aggravating the use of international transport services with illegally obtained documents (legislative decree 286/1998, article 12, paragraph 3 letters a and 3 bis and paragraph 3b, letter b), corruption for an act contrary to official duties ( article 319 of the penal code), child abuse (article 572 of the penal code), violations of the rules on adoptions with the aggravating circumstance of the fact committed by public service officers (law 184/1983, article 71, paragraph 1 and paragraph 4) and disclosure of confidential news on adopted minors (law 184/1983, article 73). According to the magistrates, the crimes were committed in competition by the three suspects, from the headquarters of their association in San Giuliano Milanese in Lombardy. The judge for preliminary investigations, however, rejected the request for wiretapping and the anti-mafia prosecutor's office, finding no other instruments of investigation, was forced to request archiving. The opposition of Italian parents, who without their knowledge have adopted children taken from their families in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, now reopens the case.

Giuliano Poletti, Minister of Labor and Social Policies

The facts refer to the adoption of dozens of minors, who would have been deceived by their natural families or forcibly separated by brothers and sisters: illegal procedures then covered by sentences issued in Goma, in the East of the African country, which they would declare the false. Falsities that Aibi's top management would have been aware of since March 2014. The first irregularities had been revealed by L'Espresso in the "Children's Thieves" cover investigation, published July 6, 2016. But after the release of the articles, many other Italian parents Aibi customers, unaware of the background, they have recognized in the episodes and have presented new complaints, thanks to the courageous testimony of their adopted children. Complaints known both to premier Gentiloni, president of the Cai-Commission for international adoptions, and to the undersecretary Boschi, in turn president of Cai before Gentiloni. Despite this, last January 23 the Minister of Labor and Social Policies, Giuliano Poletti, among his last acts of government before the elections of 4 March, has included the suspect Marco Griffini in the National Council of the Third Sectorwho personally presided at his first meeting on February 22nd, last Thursday. Minister Poletti perhaps did not know that Griffini was being investigated by the Antimafia for aggravated criminal association and aiding illegal immigration. But Marco Griffini knew very well: from November 15th 2017.

Marco Griffini, president of the Aibi association

On Wednesday, the founder of Aibi, his wife and daughter were notified of the request for the extension of the preliminary investigations. And due to an oversight by the Judges Section for preliminary investigations by the Court of Milan, not only the charges for crimes arrived at the end of the first six months of the investigation are communicated, as provided for by the code. The Gip Section also reveals to the three suspects the registration for much more serious crimes such as the criminal association and the facilitation of illegal immigration, for which the investigations can last at least one year without any extension request: this is therefore information still covered by the confidentiality of the investigation that should in no way be disclosed to interested parties before 3 April 2018.

THE BANK OF RENZI

In appointing the new National Council for the Third Sector, the Minister Poletti has joined the founder of Aibi to the banker friend of the Secretary of the Democratic Party, Matteo Renzi: Marco Griffini is in fact the deputy of Matteo Spanò, president of Agesci, the association of Italian Catholic boy-scouts. At the same time Spanò is also president of the Tuscan Federation of cooperative credit banks and the Bcc of Pontassieve, the bank famous for the loan of half a million never returned to the then bankrupt company of Tiziano Renzi, the father. And written as written by Franca Selvatici on Repubblica, with the intervention of the Guarantee Fund that was headed by the government then led by Matteo Renzi, the son. A story closed by the judiciary, but not from the memory of the savers.

Valentina Griffini, operations manager in Africa

Valentina Griffini, responsible for operations in Africa

In addition to the new assignment received by Minister Poletti, on February 14th Marco Griffini and his daughter Valentina, head of Aibi for operations in Africa and then in Congo, are invited to Rome by the Commission for international adoptions, the governmental control authority . And with apparent bravado, at 14.30 that afternoon in the offices overlooking Villa Borghese, the two sit at the same table next to the chairman of the commission, Laura Laera, nominated nine months ago by Gentiloni, and wife of Francesco Greco, head of the prosecutor's office of Milan who is investigating them. Purpose of the meeting: precisely the reopening of adoptions between Italy and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Evidently not even to President Laera, the founder of Aibi and his daughter reported having been put under investigation by her husband's attorney's office. The fact remains that an authority of control of the Italian government for such delicate international activities is coordinated with a body investigated for criminal association, corruption, aiding illegal immigration and alleged serious violations in the adoption procedures.

THE CLOSING BETWEEN THE PM AND THE COURT

The investigation on Aibi has opened a bitter confrontation with a few precedents in Milan between the District Anti-Mafia Directorate and the Judges Section for preliminary investigations by the Court. On May 19, 2017, the deputy prosecutors of the DDA, Paolo Storari and Giovanna Cavalleri, coordinated by the deputy prosecutor Ilda Boccassini, who is co-author of the file, asked the GIP for authorization to intercept the telephone. In those days the prosecutors have already examined the disclosure of almost six hundred pages signed by a magistrate of the Italian anti-mafia, Silvia Della Monica, vice president of Cai before Laura Laera. They then read the complaints of dozens of adoptive parents and the subsequent feedback collected by the Milan Mobile Squad with the collaboration of the Central Police Operational Service. In the light of all that has been rebuilt, the substitutes of the DDA Storari and Cavalleri conclude, an extensive indicative picture emerges unequivocally concerning the existence of a criminal association in San Giuliano Milanese, where the Aibi association has its registered office. , which would operate in part in Italy and partly in the different countries of origin of children, then subject to adoption. The association of Marco Griffini is in fact present, as a body authorized by the Italian government for the practices of international adoption, in 34 states with offices scattered throughout Europe, America, Asia and Africa. criminal association carried out in San Giuliano Milanese, where the Aibi association has its registered office, which would operate in part in Italy and partly in the different countries of origin of the children, then subject to adoption. The association of Marco Griffini is in fact present, as a body authorized by the Italian government for the practices of international adoption, in 34 states with offices scattered throughout Europe, America, Asia and Africa. criminal association carried out in San Giuliano Milanese, where the Aibi association has its registered office, which would operate in part in Italy and partly in the different countries of origin of the children, then subject to adoption. The association of Marco Griffini is in fact present, as a body authorized by the Italian government for the practices of international adoption, in 34 states with offices scattered throughout Europe, America, Asia and Africa.

THE SOSPETTO COMMERCIO DI MINORI

The magistrates observe that the events, with reference to all the issues that emerged in the adoption procedures of the Congolese children, lead us to believe that the reported and ascertained irregularities may constitute the usual modus operandi of the associationin managing, even in other countries, the identification of adoptable children, the separation of children from their families of origin, where they exist, as well as the subsequent matching and reunification with Italian couples. Also the circumstance that Aibi turns out to make use of the so-called exclusivity clauses with the single reception centers or local orphanages, to the detriment of other Italian organizations, by virtue of which a center is obliged to report only adoptable children to Aibi for the payment of donations of sums of money, can only arouse more than a few suspicions: namely that behind these passages of money we can hide not so much a contribution for the maintenance of the adopted child, as stated in the agreement signed by Aibi with one of the Congolese centers , but rather the price of what could become a real trade in minors. The leaders of the association, added the magistrates, are mostly members of the Griffini family and each of them maintains or has maintained a working relationship with the association "Friends of Children", which is their main source of income for them. The interception activity is at that point the only investigative tool absolutely essential, as required by the code, to find out what is hidden behind the already established irregularities. "Friends of Children" association, which is their main source of income for them. The interception activity is at that point the only investigative tool absolutely essential, as required by the code, to find out what is hidden behind the already established irregularities. "Friends of Children" association, which is their main source of income for them. The interception activity is at that point the only investigative tool absolutely essential, as required by the code, to find out what is hidden behind the already established irregularities.

NEGATIVE INTERCEPTIONS

The request is assigned to the Gip Sofia Fioretta. And on June 6 last year the judge's response denies the wiretapping. Dozens of parents and children thus fade the hope of knowing what happened to their families of origin, because their names have been changed in the Italian papers and because their true personal stories do not coincide with what is written in the sentences of adoption . Their right to demand justice also vanishes: if someone has made a mistake in Italy and in the Congo, they must be investigated and possibly prosecuted according to the law. The head of the Milan mobile team, Lorenzo Bucossi, and the manager of the organized crime section, Serena Ferrari, know that the thousands of cards already acquired must be verified. And without listening and recording conversations and internal communications, as is done with any alleged criminal association, verification is impossible. For months, however, none of the parents knows of the clash between the magistrates of the District Anti-Mafia Directorate and the Court. Families only discover it these days when, with the communication of the request for storage, the cards are deposited.

The judge, in his rejection decree twenty seven pages long, believes that the interception is not necessary due to the lack of sufficient evidence of crime. And the question is referred to a subsequent revaluation, after the issuance of a possible administrative measure by the Commission international adoptions of revocation to Aibi of the authorization to operate on behalf of the State: a decision that the former Vice President Della Monica had not assumed for not having to warn the suspects and thus compromise the necessary criminal investigations; but that even the current vice-president-wife of the Milan attorney seems to have for now intended to take, as Griffins even participate in its coordination meetings. Denied the interception in June, the prosecutor added to the head of the DDA,

Don Luca Violoni, second from left, with Marco Griffini, first from the right, in the Aibi headquarters

In the end there are the children: dozens of children of all ages who after learning Italian and overcome the fear of threats received in Congo before leaving, have read the sentences of adoption and found that the written in there and endorsed by lawyers Congolese of Aibi is not their story. There is also the infinite love of their Italian parents, who feel cheated and betrayed by an institution authorized by the government. And that completely alone are trying to reconstruct the truth in the past of their little ones. They say that for this reason they read casually on the Aibi.it website that on 16 March 2016, in the Sala San Satiro of the Milanese basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, the magistrate Sofia Fioretta conducted the presentation of the book "The discipline of mercy" with the author don Luca Violoni,an event widely publicized by the Griffini association. Obviously the priest has nothing to do with investigations and participate in the promotion of a book is not among the impediments that require a judge to abstain. But in those same days eighteen children, already Italian by adoption, were held in a dangerous war zone in Goma by an orphanage linked to Aibi, against the order of the authorities. And against the will of their adoptive parents who had to wait eighteen months until May 28, 2016, before obtaining their release. Eighteen months of terror and anguish. For this reason, in the act of opposition to the filing entrusted to their lawyer, while confirming the total trust in the Gip Section of the Court of Milan,

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Organizations: Amici dei Bambini