The governor of the Italian region surrounding the port city of Genoa, Giovanni Toti, has been placed under house arrest as part of a corruption investigation. Prosecutors allege that Toti granted political favors in exchange for money.
Toti's lawyer, Stefano Savi, stated that Toti is 'serene and convinced he’ll be able to explain everything.' The arrest order accuses Toti of doing favors for local figures in exchange for money to fund four local elections in 2021 and 2022. The investigation also implicates members of Toti’s staff and Genoa businessmen, some of whom are involved in the city’s port operations.
In response to the situation, the regional government of Liguria expressed confidence that Toti had 'always acted in the exclusive interests of Liguria.' The council has appointed the vice-president of the region to temporarily take over all administrative functions.
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio expressed his perplexity at the decision to place Toti under pretrial house arrest, noting that such restrictive measures are rarely used for investigations of this nature.
