Twenty two people are being investigated, including former Valle d'Aosta governor Augusto Rollandin and members of the Aosta council from 2012 to 2015 in an investigation into The Saint Vincent Casino, a glamorous yet 100 per cent public-owned facility. The officials are accused of fraud: more than €140 million has disappeared from the casino's balance sheet. The region's current administrator, Pierluigi Marquis, is also under investigation, according to a report in Il Messaggero.
The public prosecutor's investigation in Aosta is seeking to determine what happened with four transactions between 2012 and 2015: specifically, why €50 million in July 2012, 10€ million in September 2013, €60 million in October 2014 and a further €20 million in December 2015 were withdrawn or transferred from other participating stakeholders in the casino and publicly listed companies, according to Repubblica.
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The investigation is seeking to demonstrate that the region's administration between 2012 and 2015 fiddled the books to create budgets showing deliberately reduced operating losses and consequently unrealistic industrial development objectives.
The local council members are effectively accused of having simulated losses in order to sustain the need for further payments from regional funds.
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