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Milan Mayor Did Not Disclose 20% Stake in Finalter as Probe Widens

Prosecutors are examining consultancy fees linked to Finalter to determine whether those ties compromised the city’s procurement oversight.

Overview

  • Reporting shows Giuseppe Sala held a 20 percent stake in Finalter after Expo and placed the shares in a Jersey blind trust that was not declared in his mayoral asset filings while city investigators opened inquiries.
  • Authorities from the Procura and the Guardia di Finanza are probing consultancy assignments and contracts that connect Finalter to Engineering, a large IT supplier to the city and its controlled companies.
  • Coverage and public records point to roughly €2 million in consultancies paid to Finalter and about €15 million in contracts that Engineering obtained from the municipality and municipal companies over the years.
  • Sala says he surrendered control of the shares to a blind trust, that he never benefited financially from Finalter, and that he will formalize steps to prevent any future gain; opposition leaders demand a full explanation at the City Council and fault the majority for silence.
  • The case revives earlier ANAC concerns about Sala’s associate Pietro Galli and highlights overlapping roles for notary Filippo Zabban in the trust and in municipal-controlled firms, raising governance and conflict-of-interest questions that could affect future city appointments and contracting rules.