Police on Wednesday arrested three suspects, including two politicians from the rightwing League party and 20 individuals are under investigation on suspicion of vote-buying in Sicily, Italian news agency ANSA reported.
Investigators say they have evidence of at least 12 episodes of vote-buying in exchange for promises of jobs or other favours in the Sicilian city of Termini Imerese.
Those arrested were named as brothers Salvino and Mario Caputo, who are both from the anti-immigrant, euroskeptic League party that did very well in Italy’s general election in early March and whose leader, Matteo Salvini, could become the next prime minister of Italy.
According to ANSA, a third man, named as Benito Vercio, was arrested on suspicion of being a “procurer of votes.”
Among those being probed for vote-buying are two city cabinet members and a city librarian who was previously arrested for absenteeism.
The League is one of two relative winners of the March 4 election, along with the populist Five Star Movement.
Leave a Reply