Justice: Philip Morris Italy executives suspected of corruption

In Italy, an investigation recently revealed a corruption system set up by Philip Morris[1]The Deputy Prosecutor of Rome has referred the protagonists of the case to the court. A first hearing has been scheduled for early 2021.

On March 11, 2020, the American non-profit association “OCCRP (Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project)” highlighted a corruption system established by Philip Morris in the Italian peninsula.[2].

Corruption of senior officials

The world leader in tobacco allegedly bribed senior customs officials to obtain confidential information on tax rates, and therefore prices, in order to impose its own tax system, control the tobacco product traceability system, and continue to fuel tobacco smuggling. In December 2019, nine people were arrested, before being released between January and February, and the investigation was stalled.

The resumption of the investigation

The suspicions of corruption have prompted Alberto Pioletti, Deputy Prosecutor of Rome, to resume the investigation. The preliminary hearing, set for January 12, 2021, will bring before Judge Concetta Anna Di Pietro (Director of the Tobacco Circulation Office at the Customs and Monopolies Agency), Fabio Carducci (Director of the Central Directorate for the Management of Excise and Tobacco Monopolies), Massimo Pietrangeli (Central Director of Assessment and Recovery), and Philip Morris executives Eugenio Sidoli, Gianluca Bellavista and Nicola Fogolin, all dismissed since the disclosure of this case. These suspicions, if proven, will echo the recent condemnation of the industry tobacco for illegal price fixing in the Netherlands.

This news item is based on an article published in the Blogs section of the Médiapart website:

Perdanre, Italy: suspicion of corruption for the benefit of cigarette manufacturer Philip Morris, Mediapart, 10/13/2020 (accessed the same day)

Keywords: Corruption, Italy

©Tobacco Free Generation

[1] See the article from Génération Sans Tabac dated April 8, 2020 : Philip Morris Cigarette Collusion with Italian Customs Agents

[2] Alessiin Cerantola, Tobaccopoli: The Secret Battle to Control Italy's Cigarette Market, March 11, 2020

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