Gaetano Armao, former Sicilian vice president, placed under house arrest for corruption

The judge's order

The investigating judge in Palermo, Giuseppa Zampino according to Adnkronos, ordered house arrest for Gaetano Armao, the former vice president of the Sicilian region, on a corruption charge. The order followed a preventive interrogation of Armao. Prosecutors had asked for him to be sent to prison. Lawyer Pierluigi Matta and entrepreneur Luigi Zancla were also placed under house arrest on corruption charges.

What prosecutors allege

According to the prosecutors, Armao used his roles as an expert adviser to regional president Renato Schifani and as head of the Commissione Tecnica Specialistica, which handles environmental authorisations of regional competence, to pocket money from entrepreneurs in exchange for favours. Through Matta, the payments were booked as fees for legal consulting that was never carried out. Matta allegedly withdrew the money transferred to his account and handed it to Armao in cash. Cameras and listening devices placed by investigators in Armao's car and in the offices of Armao and Matta recorded several handovers of money between the two. Adnkronos reports that the environmental permits at the centre of the probe were granted by the regional commission that Armao chaired until the summer of 2026.

Armao's defence and consequences

Armao denies the account and says he received no bribe, describing the sums found as loans. After the summons to appear and the request for his arrest, he resigned as legal adviser to Schifani. Adnkronos describes him as the husband of a former chief of cabinet to Justice Minister Carlo Nordio.

Suspects spared custody

The judge rejected prosecutors' requests for precautionary measures against the other suspects. Prosecutors had sought house arrest for most of them, but for Benedetta Costanzo they asked for a ban on residing in a set place. The reports say five other people were involved, yet they name six: Giuseppe Geremia Lombardo, a deputy in the Sicilian regional assembly (Ars) for the Mpa party and nephew of former regional president Raffaele Lombardo, managers Giuseppe Argiro and Marco Gentile Malacarne, Benedetta Costanzo, and entrepreneurs Mario Lupo and Sergio Vella.