Brescia court dismisses corruption case against former Pavia prosecutor Mario Venditti

Dismissal of corruption charges

A preliminary judge in Brescia has dismissed judicial corruption charges against Mario Venditti, the former deputy prosecutor of Pavia. The decision adopts a confidential request filed in June by the Brescia public prosecutor's office, which found no evidence of bribery or unlawful agreements between Venditti and the Sempio family. Financial auditors scrutinized Venditti's personal bank accounts and identified no illicit transfers or suspicious financial movements. The investigation had centered on allegations that Giuseppe Sempio, the father of 38-year-old suspect Andrea Sempio, paid bribes to secure a swift dismissal of homicide allegations in 2017. While Venditti is now cleared of all criminal wrongdoing, Giuseppe Sempio remains under investigation for corruption as the case is separated and transferred back to Pavia.

Origins of the probe and Venditti's defense

The investigation against Venditti arose after authorities discovered a handwritten note in the Sempio home bearing the words "Venditti Gip archivia per 20, 30". In a broadcast appearance on Quarto Grado, Venditti described the document as an ambiguous scribble and criticized the Pavia prosecutor's office for forwarding the matter to Brescia without first interviewing witnesses or asking for clarification. Venditti recounted the sequence of the 2017 decisions, explaining that he and prosecutor Giulia Pezzino initially sought dismissal in March 2017 following a complaint from Alberto Stasi's mother regarding private detective inquiries, which preliminary judge Lambertucci approved. When Milan Carabinieri submitted a report requesting the case be reopened in May 2017, Venditti reiterated the dismissal request, which a second preliminary judge, Villani, formally accepted.

Venditti addressed the accusations publicly following the Brescia court ruling.

“What I have endured in these months is unspeakable, they have said all sorts of things about me.”

Scrutiny shifts to judicial police and lawyers

Although the Brescia court cleared Venditti, the dismissal decree detailed substantial irregularities during the 2016 and 2017 inquiries into Andrea Sempio. Financial analysis revealed that tens of thousands of euros were withdrawn from Sempio bank accounts for undisclosed destinations. The Brescia judge concluded that corrupt arrangements or false representations may have taken place at the level of the Pavia judicial police section, specifically naming Carabinieri officers Silvio Sapone, Antonio Scoppetta, and Giuseppe Spoto. Court records cited recorded conversations regarding illicit payments, including wiretaps in which speakers noted that handing over substantial sums would resolve legal problems. Investigators also noted procedural defects, including warning Sempio before questioning and installing surveillance on only one vehicle. Venditti maintained that while former police collaborators may have made errors, any missing funds most likely stopped with former defense lawyers.

Impact on the Garlasco murder proceedings

Attorneys Liborio Cataliotti and Angela Taccia, representing Andrea Sempio, welcomed the dismissal of charges against Venditti as a development that strengthens their legal position. Cataliotti noted that Venditti personally conducted all investigative steps, including witness interviews and the examination of Professor De Stefano, a technical expert from the Alberto Stasi trial. The defense team argued that the absence of judicial corruption confirms the validity of the 2017 decisions to archive the case. Andrea Sempio remains under investigation by the Pavia prosecutor's office as a suspect in the 2007 murder of Chiara Poggi.

Cataliotti summarized the defense perspective on the magistrate's exoneration.

“The dismissal of every accusation brought against Dr. Venditti is received with satisfaction by us, the members of Andrea Sempio's defense team.”