Former Pavia deputy prosecutor Venditti to testify as witness in Garlasco probe

A witness summons in Pavia

Mario Venditti, a former deputy prosecutor in Pavia, has been summoned as a witness in the corruption inquiry that Pavia prosecutors are running alongside the Garlasco murder case. The questioning is set for 11 November 2026. Il Giornale reports that the deputy chief prosecutor Stefano Civardi arranged a 13:30 appointment, while La Stampa describes the hearing as taking place in the morning. Venditti will be heard as a person informed of the facts, not as a suspect, because his own position has already been archived in Brescia. His lawyer, Domenico Aiello, confirmed the appointment to Fanpage.

Brescia archived his position

Brescia prosecutors had investigated Venditti for corruption in judicial acts, alleging that he took money to help secure the archiving of the first inquiry into Andrea Sempio, which opened in 2016. On 17 September, the Brescia investigating judge Mauroernesto Macca accepted the prosecution's request and closed the case against him. In his decree, Macca wrote:

“None of the investigative elements have yielded a trace leading to the suspect.”

La Stampa notes that the judge also stressed that this did not mean every shadow had been dispelled, so questions over the cash remain open. The case then moved to Pavia, where the same magistrates handle the remaining corruption file.

The Pavia file and the Sempio payments

The Pavia file now covers Giuseppe Sempio, the father of Andrea Sempio, who is still under investigation for corruption in judicial acts over an alleged payment made to secure the archiving of his son's first inquiry. According to Fanpage, between 50,000 and 60,000 euros left the family in those months, and the Sempios said from the start that the money was meant for their lawyers. The probe was triggered by a handwritten note reading 'Venditti archivia 20-30 euro' that carabinieri found during an inspection of the Sempio home on 14 May 2025. Pavia prosecutors closed their investigation into Andrea Sempio on 28 September and asked for his trial on 3 November, a murder file that Fanpage notes is kept separate from the corruption probe.

Carabinieri and a possible new charge

La Stampa reports that prosecutors are assessing the judicial police carabinieri unit, the lawyers of the suspect and Andrea Sempio himself as possible positions in the file. Il Giornale reports that the Sempio lawyers of that time and Andrea Sempio could also be listed in the corruption file. Fanpage notes that several former members of the judicial police appear in the papers without being under investigation, so the probe could widen further. The charge may also change: La Stampa says prosecutors could move from corruption toward concussione, extortion by a public official, though that view rests on the limited material that has emerged so far. Venditti's questioning on 11 November is the next step.