ROME, March 26 (Reuters) - Italian tax police searched the offices of several state-linked bodies and companies, as well as the workplace of a telecom executive in Rome, as part of an investigation
Italian Tax Police Raid Offices in Rome Over Public IT Contracts Probe
Investigation into Public IT Procurement Contracts
Police Raids and Targets
ROME, March 26 (Reuters) - Italian tax police searched the offices of several state-linked bodies and companies, as well as the workplace of a telecom executive in Rome, as part of an investigation into public IT procurement contracts, two sources with direct knowledge of the matter said on Thursday.
Background of the Probe
The investigation is a further development of a 2024 probe previously launched into Sogei, the Treasury's IT company, that centres on an alleged scheme to rig IT procurement contracts through the creation of slush funds, the sources said.
Entities Involved
Those targeted included Italy's power grid operator,, the national railway operator RFI, and Polo Strategico Nazionale (PSN), a company that manages cloud infrastructure for the public administration.
The sources said police also entered a defence ministry building and the office of a Telecom Italia (TIM) executive in Rome.
Official Responses
The defence ministry said it would give its full support and utmost cooperation to the judicial authorities.
Terna, RFI, TIM and PSN, which is owned by TIM, Leonardo, CDP Equity and Sogei, were not immediately available for comment.
Scope of the Investigation
Allegations and Suspects
Rome prosecutors were investigating alleged corruption and money laundering linked to some contracts put out to tender by the companies searched, as well as by the environment ministry, the sources said.
Number of Individuals Under Investigation
A total of 26 people were under investigation, the sources added.
(Reporting by Emilio Parodi, editing by Crispian Balmer and Alex Richardson)
