Scores arrested for absenteeism at Naples hospital

published today in the Italian Insider:

 

Scores arrested for absenteeism at Naples hospital

By Florence Brock

NAPLES – As many as 55 employees at Loreto Mare public hospital were placed under house arrest Friday by NAS- the branch of paramilitary Carabinieri police responsible for health protection- in a raid after uncovering acts of fraud committed by state health employees during working hours, authorities reported. Doctors, nurses, technicians and janitors were all taken by surprise in a police raid just after 2 a.m. on Friday morning.
After two years of hidden camera footage and tailing, the NAS stormed into the hospital and placed dozens of hospital employees under arrest for fraud and false declaration against the public administration.
Court orders stemming from the District Attorney’s Office for absenteeism at the Parthenope hospital were served to hospital staff. The copious list included a neurologist, a gynaecologist, nine radiology technicians, 18 nurses, six administration employees and 11 janitors. Some were equally national union members. With other 40 people under investigation, the incursion involved over 90 state employees.
Besides the so-called “multiple badge swipes” by some employees, that made it seem like staff was at work when really members were elsewhere, police cameras also documented the absence of the very employees in charge of supervising and ensuring obedience of employee contract clauses, an inside source reported to Il Fatto Quotidiano.
Absent from the hospital during work shifts, one of these employees would be actually be busy working as a chef in a hotel near Naples. Documented proof also evidenced a doctor leaving the hospital during work hours and going play tennis or taking care of personal business like shopping for jewellery.
Over a period of two years, hours and hours of footage and telephone tapping were gathered in over 500 incidents of observation and tailing, leading to the thousands of episodes involving absenteeism.
Two janitors were equally filmed as they were advised daily by a phone call or via message, according to hospital shifts that needed ‘covering’. Apparently, they would swipe up to 20 badges per day in order to clock in and out for fellow colleagues.
Incredibly, all these acts occurred in a public health structure already known for its constant dearth of personnel.
Loreto Mare is yet another public hospital added to the list of public sanitation facilities being probed for absenteeism. From Hospital Ruggi to Cardarelli Hospital, many have been under scrutiny in Campania for fraud.
President of Regional Audit Office Michael Sciascia had already expressed his alarm at the inauguration of the judicial year weeks ago, announcing his solicitation for countermeasures. With recent events involving dubious management of public health facilities involving patients who received questionable health assistance, “once adopted, rigorously enforced disciplinary measures, that include sacking and suspension, would reduce public administration disorganization.”
His strong words were aimed at medical facilities and hospitals that are called upon to guarantee sanitary services, above all therapies. At any moment, they must be able to guarantee proper assistance to the ill.
In a statement released just hours after the police blitz, Governor of the Campania Region Vincenzo de Luca spoke before members of the press at the annual TAR (Regional Administrative Court) inauguration: “We will be irremovable with those who do not do their duty,” he emphasized regarding the absentees investigation where numerous doctors, nurses and administration personnel are involved. “I have already spoken about this matter to the Director General of the Public Health (ASL),” he added.
“In order to give young people in Campania the opportunity to work, the one thing we cannot allow is frivolous chit chat together with demagogy of those who constantly try to shake responsibility onto others. The time for chit chat has run out. I hope this is clear to everyone,” he concluded.

Anti-terrorism hub approved for Naples

published earlier today in the Italian Insider.

Anti-terrorism hub approved for Naples

By Florence Brock

NAPLES — Aiming at creating a military centre for the Mediterranean, NATO approved a plan for a new anti-terrorism hub in Naples which will serve as a focal point for monitoring threats growing along the alliance’s southern doorstep, NATO’s top official said.

Located in the allied inter force command centre in Naples, JFC Naples base, “the new hub will help us to coordinate information on crisis countries such as Libya and Iraq, and help us address terrorism and other challenges stemming from the region,” Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said at the start of two days talks with NATO defence ministers in Brussels.

Strongly wanted by the Italian Minister of Defence Roberta Pinotti since last October, the Mediterranean hub was welcomed by a large consensus, but no decision had been taken until the meeting at NATO headquarters.

“Italy has wanted the hub and has fought hard for it at all levels,” states Pinotti, emphasising, “I personally have brought it up at every occasion: Ambassador Bisogniero and the Head of State Major Graziano had to elaborate on the idea. We believe this is an important result. Obviously, now we’ll have to work on the adequate implementation of this decision.”

“NATO’s new framework for the south sets the base for a Mediterranean hub that includes information research, consideration of local alert areas and even capacity building in the region of interest with coordination of all operations to be implemented in an effort to ward off threats from the south,” the defence minister concludes.

Tasked with increasing the capacity to identify threats and improve situational awareness, the plan is part of an effort by NATO to strengthen its role in combating terrorism, a key area of concern for President Donald Trump, who has criticized allies for not doing enough against such threats.

After expressly pointed to the failure of many European allies of upholding the NATO mandate requiring member states to spend two percent of their gross domestic product on military matters, allies have been under pressure to boost their defence spending.

In a brief statement Wednesday, Secretary of Defence James Mattis called NATO a “fundamental bedrock for the United States,” offering comments aimed at reassuring some allies, though admonishing that Washington “will moderate its commitment” to the alliance if they did not increase their spending on defence CNN reported yesterday.

The meeting of defence ministers is the first since Trump’s election and comes after the president’s strong words demanding that all those who benefit from the best defence in the world carry their proportionate share of the costs to defend its freedom.

“We just agreed to create a hub for the south in Naples where about 100 people will asses potential threats and engage with partners,” Oana Lungescu of the NATO press twitted earlier Wednesday evening.

While committed to the southern counter-terrorism centre, NATO has not mentioned when operations will begin.

Vitulano says no to refugees with a wall, then bargains

published earlier today in the Italian insider.

 

 

Vitulano says no to refugees with a wall, then bargains

By Florence Brock

BENEVENTO — After issuing a city order, Mayor Raffaele Scarinzi of Vitulano, in the province Benevento, had a physical barricade built, stopping refugees from reaching the holiday farmhouse designated as a reception centre (habitable for a maximum of 12 people).
Exasperated by the growing numbers of arriving migrants, Democratic Party mayor Scarinzi decided to bar off the centre’s only public access with a low dirt wall on Monday, denying access to over 30 arriving refugees.
With a population totalling less than 3,000 people, the small town in the Province of Benevento already takes part in SPRAR (protection system for asylum and refugee seekers) and is currently hosting 30 migrants.
Receiving word that the Prefecture would be sending them immigrants after the nearby centre Madonna della Salute di Benevento had been closed last Friday made the mayor put his foot firmly down.
The failed attempt by authorities to transfer the almost three dozen refugees opened up the bargaining table between the Benevento mayor and the prefecture, eventually arriving at a compromise and agreeing to take in 12 of the 34 asylum seekers.
“We are not racists,” clarified Scarinzi, “but we want the government to respect the rules; as we already host 30 refugees in our SPRAR centre, we cannot welcome anymore.”
While the town’s bars are full of approval for the position taken by their elected leader, Mayor of Benevento Clemente Mastella criticised his fellow administrator in a letter to Prefect Paola Galeone: “The method in which the assignment of the 34 migrants was revoked as a result of Mayor of Vitulano, Raffaele Scarinzi and his forceful show of reluctance is unacceptable,” he wrote to solicit an ‘equal distribution’ of asylum seekers.
“More than 400 migrants (of which 60 are in the SPRAR system), are hosted on this territory which is notably higher than the agreed upon 2,5 people per 1000 inhabitants by the Anci-Ministry agreement,” he continues “to which the City of Benevento should add 162 refugees, without considering the foreigners in Contrada Epitaffio (with the additional refused refugees from Vitulano). The situation could become explosive. That’s why we need to intervene with urgency,” he concludes.
“At the moment, Vitulano is still the temporary home to the thirty immigrants who have been there since 2013 as a part of SPRAR that our city manages on behalf of the Internal Ministry,” reported Scarinzi to ANSA yesterday.

Paedophile scandal rocks Archbishop of Naples

published earlier today in the Italian Insider.

 

Paedophile scandal rocks Archbishop of Naples

by Florence Brock

 

 

NAPLES — “With this present letter, I’d like to file a complaint against the Archbishop of Naples, Cardinal Crescenzio Sepe, for severe negligence in carrying out his duty.” That’s how victim “Diego” (given this pseudonym to protect his identity) started a letter he sendt to Pope Francis and Perfect Cardinal Marc Ouellet of the Archbishop Congregation last October.
Subsequent to the canonical law in vigour as of last Sept. 5 that establishes the removal of bishops found guilty of severe negligence in the management of sexual abuse cases involving priests, the pontiff promises to investigate and he does.
According to Diego, Archbishop Sepe is guilty of negligence because the victim’s alleged aggressor is still around children, teaching in a technical superior school in Naples and has never been removed from his duties.
With the terms of the new norm studied over months by a team of jurists appointed by Bergoglio, the Pope intends to create transparency in the management of sexual abuse cases, allowing the victims to obtain compensation where dioceses are found guilty.
While Sepe faces serious accusations, his clerk Luigi Ortaglio confirms the archbishop did indeed receive some letters from the presumed victim and his psychiatrist concerning alleged sexual abuse that took place from 1986 to1992.
Referring to the letters Diego wrote to the curia about when he was a student at Borsi 2 of Ponticelli, claiming to be victim of sexual violence by his religion teacher S.M, who, at the time was assistant priest at Santissima Annunziata of Pollena Trocchia, “the archbishop ordered the General Vicar to investigate immediately,” asserts the clerk.
Subsequently, the presumed victim, his psychiatrist Dr. Alfonso Rossi and the accused priest were heard. “Although the priest denied all accusations and there was no evidence to confirm the presumed victim’s story, both the church and the priest together decided on a sabbatical period way from the parish,” continues the clerk.
It appears that the priest’s mere change of venue, moving to a different school where he continued working with youngsters, was the very cause that led Diego to appeal to the curie.
While years of sexual abuse as a teenager were buried down deep, Diego’s trauma was to resurface only 20 years later with bouts of anxiety and psychiatric therapy.
After filing a police report to local police in 2009 for a crime that was considered statute barred, Diego turned to the church for justice and some peace of mind.
In 2010, he appealed his case to Archbishop Sepe, “without any answer,” he insists in his letter to the Pope.
Diego goes on to share his experience and refers to a church that is completely unprepared to deal with such cases, trying to sand paedophile crimes and protect their own priests, ignoring the trauma inflicted on victims. In his case, Don S. M. was indeed sent away from his parish, but only to continue working with children elsewhere instead of being revoked from his duties, as the canonical law states.
Today, the 40-year-old victim suffers from several disorders, has lost his job as a security guard and no longer has peace of mind. “Not a day goes by that I don’t think about what happened to me nor is there a night that I don’t have nightmares about those horrible moments. I cannot stop wondering why me? Unfortunately, in my heart I know that I wasn’t the only one and that there are other victims,” he admits.
Establishing a limitless time minors can file a case against sexual abuse seems to be the only solution to the request of justice due to the fact that victims tend to consciously realize very late that they were abused. “It is high time the community takes on the burden of the victims and not just the crime,” says Dr. Rossi. “In this case, they are the ones who are condemned to oblivion. What is the difference between those who kill a person and those who kill a person’s mind?”

De Magistris founds “DemA” political movement

published earlier today at italian insider.it

 

 

De Magistris founds “DemA” political movement

       By Florence Brock

NAPLES — Mayor of the city of Naples, Luigi De Magistris, has publicly announced the birth of his political movement, declaring that DemA will be challenging Campania governor, Vincenzo de Luca, in 2020.

As the Parthenope leader of Democracy and Independence movement changed its statute last week, becoming an authentic political party at Domus Ars in the heart of Naples, its founder defined DemA as different.

Excluding any possibility that DemA could in any way emerge as an alternative raising from the ashes of a struggling Democratic Party, De Magistris is clear: “I’m sincerely honoured that many people think of me and DemA as a consequence to what’s been going on within the PD and all around it, but we are not here in search of seats. Ours is a movement that’s completely different from others. Our left-wing position is never going to be interested in being a crutch of the PD,” he emphasizes.

Much now explains why the city Mayor has been in constant contrast with the Democratic Party government and regional governor, often refusing to work together. De Magistris has had his mind on political aspirations of his own that take on a different direction and now they have started taking shape.

“DemA is going to be an entirely different movement from parties known since 1900’s,” explains De Magistris, “even different from the Five-star Movement. Our intention is to converge the many local independent movements that in other parts of the world have been demonstrating there is indeed a different and effective way of conducting politics,” says its founder. “We are going to start by immediately connecting with others who believe in radical and revolutionary change,” he concludes.

The all-Neapolitan statute members voted unanimously to elect the movement founder President of DemA. Although honoured to embrace new projects, De Magistris assures he will nonetheless complete his mandate as Mayor that ends in 2021 and that he will not be De Luca’s adversary in 2020 Regional election.

Currently forerunners in the City Council, the movement that sided with De Magistris and his independent candidature for re-election last year has been growing rapidly in consensus, even in the Salerno area (known as De Luca country) and they certainly won’t be a group of just simple voters in the next regional election.

DemA president De Magistris announced that the party plans on appearing on the political arena much before regional elections. “With administrative elections coming up in several towns this year, DemA will propose its candidates, even where it does not expect to win,” he asserts. Although the embryo party is not currently ready for political elections were the nation to vote this year, with DemA’s first national assembly scheduled for June, probable national election postponement to 2018 could very well give DemA the time to consolidate its program and nominate a candidate.

Born in 1967 in Naples, Luigi de Magistris began working as a judge in 1993, following in the footsteps of his father. After prosecuting some heated cases in Calabria that led to disciplinary actions taken by the Superior Magistrate Board, he stepped down as a judge and entered politics in 2009, signing up for the left-wing party Italia dei Valori. After serving in the European Parliament, he won the first of his two mandates as Mayor of Naples in 2011 as an IDV candidate and was re-elected as an independent Arancione candidate in 2016. He currently serves his second term as Mayor.

Damage in Pompeii jeopardizes EU support

 

This article was published earlier today in the Italian Insider:

 

Damage in Pompeii jeopardizes EU support

By Florence Brock

Naples -District Attorney in the province of Naples, Alessandro Pennasilico has opened a case file on the incidents that have led the archaeological site of Pompeii to become the centre of union disputes, harsh rebukes from the site Superintendent Massimo Osanna and the collapse of a wall in Regio I along the popular via dell’Abbondanza.

Near to closing time at the famous Roman city ruins earlier this week, military police arrived and taped off the central area of via dell’Abbondanza near the Foro sequestering the area after the collapse of a wall that took place last Friday.

Necessary for the ongoing investigation, the act will now cause even further delays in the restoration of Regio I that had just recently received the green light from the Naples administrative courts.

Although no particular theories have been attributed to the cause of the collapsed metre and a half wall, the DA does not exclude any possibilities at this time: investigators could be looking at natural causes, or intentional vandalism.

While police are hard at work, the DA’s office has expressed deep concern about eventual repercussions that the damage could do to the site’s image in the eyes of the European union, jeopardising their consideration and the much counted on financing for Pompeii’s Grande Progetto Pompeii. The indispensable project established for the restoration and expensive overall upkeep of the UNESCO world heritage site was Pompeii’s long fought triumph in efforts to best guarantee the preservation of the antique treasures.

Even though Superintendent Osanna places no suspicions on foul play, he does assert: “It has not rained for a long time and there have been no natural disasters as such to justify the collapse,” explains the director in an interview. “I’m certain that the collapse occurred during the night between the 26th and the 27th of January. The management staff involved in security on via dell’Abbondanza walked by number 22 and the structure was in tact,” he emphasizes referring to the uncanny timing of the incident.

Police have equally spoken to him concerning ‘threats’ the site manager claims to have received from some small unions for having opened the site gates during a union meeting last Thursday.

In the meantime, pleasant words of support have filled former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi’s blog post. “I stand by Osanna’s side, he writes in solidarity. “In Pompeii, Italy is toying with its future, not with its past. Appreciating Pompeii means not throwing away European funds as has happened in the past, of course. It even means remembering who we Italians are and urging the South to get in the game,” he concludes.

Instead of dying down, the internal disputes have taken on even more steam in the last hours. Given the Pompeii visit planned February 9th by Minister of Heritage, Culture and Tourism, Dario Franceschini andMinister of Territorial Cohesion and the South, Claudio De Vincenti, together with European Commissioner Corina Cretu, custodians first called for an assembly and requested that the site stay closed in respect of the union debate. After receiving an emphatic no, Osanna made it clear that the site was a public utility and that he personally would assume responsibility for the security of the site and even if it meant personally opening the gates himself. Although the 70-member union later cancelled the assembly, custodians have nonetheless announced that those not scheduled to work would march in protest with slogans and picket signs.

Word has now come from the police headquarters that no demonstration will be authorised one week from today given the possible danger to public order.

With all the commotion and unreliability for the site open hours, tour operators have been registering growing numbers of cancellations for tourist visits to Pompeii, a source says. Knowing they risk finding the Roman ruins closed, some have preferred either to postpone their trip to a later date or cancel altogether.

The DA’s office has promised to conclude their investigation within the next 30 days.