Italian judge drops corruption charges against former Pavia prosecutor Mario Venditti

Brescia court clears former magistrate

Preliminary investigations judge Mauroernesto Macca approved the formal request from the Brescia prosecutor's office, led by chief prosecutor Francesco Prete, to dismiss all judicial corruption charges against former Pavia deputy prosecutor Mario Venditti. The ruling, detailed across a 15-page judicial order, established that extensive investigative checks produced no evidence of any illicit financial agreement between the retired magistrate and the family of Andrea Sempio. Specialized audits of Venditti's personal bank accounts found no unexplained deposits, wire transfers, or financial assets matching the timing or amounts of cash withdrawals executed by the Sempio household during the 2017 murder inquiry. Investigators also confirmed that no telephonic, digital, or personal communications occurred outside formal courtroom settings between Venditti and Sempio or his defense representatives. Both defense lawyers questioned during the inquiry testified that their sole interactions with the assigned magistrates took place during formal interrogations.

The alleged crime presupposes an agreement between the public official and the private party, the giving or promising of a benefit and the finalization of the act to favor a party to the trial, however, of none of these elements have the investigations, although extensive, returned a trace leading to the suspect.

Handwritten notes and defense budget claims

The bribery investigation began after carabinieri searched the Sempio residence on 14 May 2025 and seized a handwritten memo reading "Venditti Gip archivia x 20, 30 € euro". Andrea Sempio's father, Giuseppe Sempio, confirmed that he authored the note but maintained that the numbers represented estimated legal expenses for defense counsel rather than bribe money. Former defense attorney Massimo Lovati asserted that the note reflected normal retainer projections between €20,000 and €30,000, arguing that such figures were negligible compared to official prosecutorial earnings. In his dismissal decision, Judge Macca noted that the memo incorrectly identified Venditti as a judge for preliminary investigations (GIP) rather than a prosecutor. This procedural error indicated that Giuseppe Sempio possessed only secondhand and approximate knowledge of judicial roles, which contradicted allegations of a direct corrupt pact with Venditti.

Financial audits and payment discrepancies

A broader examination of Sempio family finances revealed substantial cash movements throughout the period when Andrea Sempio faced investigation. Carabinieri investigators noted that between December 2016 and June 2017, Andrea Sempio's aunts issued checks totaling €43,000 directly to his father, while a 2017 car wiretap recorded Giuseppe Sempio discussing payments to third parties. Defense attorneys acknowledged receiving €45,000 in official fees, family accounting ledgers recorded €46,000 allocated to legal representation, and Sempio's parents reported total legal outlays reaching €60,000 across three months of preliminary inquiries. Judge Macca observed that these diverging accounts leave an unresolved gap regarding the precise allocation of defense money. However, the judge concluded that the absence of any financial trail connecting those withdrawals to Venditti prevents the accounting discrepancy from serving as legal evidence of bribery.

Inquest returns to Pavia for police inquiries

While the Brescia court cleared Venditti, the criminal case concerning potential corruption remains open for other parties. Giuseppe Sempio remains under active investigation, and judicial files are being transferred back to Pavia prosecutors to assess whether judicial police officers accepted illicit payments. The Pavia prosecutor's office had previously seen staff convicted in the Clean operations, which dismantled a corrupt network where police personnel provided investigative favors in exchange for cash. Judge Macca ruled that documented irregularities during the 2017 inquiry, such as incomplete wiretap transcripts, irregular communications with Sempio, and omitted phone records, occurred exclusively among judicial police officers. The original March 2017 dismissal of Andrea Sempio, who was initially registered as a suspect on 23 December 2016, had been prepared by co-assigned prosecutor Dr. Pezzino based on witness testimony and carabinieri reports designed to prevent leaks about the 13 August 2007 murder of Chiara Poggi.