Green light from the Court of Auditors for the sale of Autostrade per l’Italia to the consortium led by Cassa Depositi e Prestiti with the Blackstone and Macquarie investment funds. The transfer of Aspi by Atlantia, an operation worth over 8 billion, marks the conclusion of the dispute between the State and the Benetton family company after the collapse of the Morandi bridge, the motorway infrastructure collapsed on 14 August 2018 causing death of 43 people, to avoid the revocation of the concession, expiring in 2038, and effectively oust the Benettons. Cdp and the two investment funds will thus acquire 88.06%, ie the total stake of Atlantia in Aspi (Cdp 51% while the funds both take 24.5%).
The accounting judges “admitted to legitimacy the provision of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Sustainable Mobility concerning the approval of the settlement agreement between Mims and Aspi and the Cipess resolution with the opinion on the third additional act to the single agreement with Autostrade for Italy Spa and on the related economic and financial plan. The reasons will be disclosed as soon as the resolution is filed in accordance with the law “.
A decision that has left Egle Possetti, the spokesperson for the Committee to remember victims of the Morandi bridge, indignant. “It is the greatest shame ever seen in Italy. It is a country that has no future. There is a Parliament that has not known how to honor the victims. Evidently everything was already planned. If I were one of the shareholders of Aspi I would be hidden in home for the rest of my life and instead receive acclaim for their ‘magnificent work’. ” Senator Mattia Crucioli (the Alternative) who has always opposed the operation is also tough: “It is sad and makes all Italian citizens poorer, because this agreement impoverishes the state. We live in an unjust country because instead of sanctioning those who had the responsibility of the Morandi bridge, he was allowed to sell the shares at a stratospheric price, earning yet another billions “.
The go-ahead from the Court of Auditors comes two days after the plea bargain request presented by Aspi to the judge before which the preliminary hearing was held for the collapse of Morandi. The company asked to get out of the process by paying 29 million, as well as eliminating organizational deficiencies and making the motorway network safer. After the favorable opinion of the Prosecutor, the GUP will decide on 7 April on settlements (Spea, the company that dealt with maintenance has also asked for it) and on indictments. 59 people are accused. The charges, for various reasons, are multiple manslaughter, road homicide, omission of official acts, attack on transport safety, forgery and willful omission of safety devices in the workplace.
Source: Ansa
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