According to legal documents, migrants are alleged to have lived in "hellish conditions" at the center. At the preliminary hearing on October 14, two migrants were admitted as civil plaintiffs in the investigation regarding the Detention Center for Repatriations (CPR) on Via Corelli in Milan.
On Monday (October 14), in a case against two managers of a migration detention and repatriation center in Italy (CPR), two migrants were admitted as civil plaintiffs, seeking potential damages in the investigation.
The investigating magistrate Mattia Fiorentini, announced that other migrants and at least two associations supporting migrants, Naga and BeFree, will also be allowed to join in at the next hearing scheduled for December 18.
The main defendants in the case, Alessandro F. and Consiglia C. (a mother and son) who were both administrators at the company Martinina srl that used to be in charge of managing the facility are being investigated on charges of fraud in public supplies and bid rigging.
Investigating prosecutors Paolo Storari and Giovanna Cavalleri, along with the Guardia di Finanza's (Financial and Tax police) Economic and Financial Unit allege that migrants were detained at the center in "inhumane" and "hellish" conditions.
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Cases outlined
Lawyers acting on behalf of the civil plaintiffs in the case, which inclde migrants and the Naga and BeFree associations, say they have long been concerned with the conditions in which migrants were held in CPRs like that in Milan.
One of the defendants, Alessandro F. has, via his lawyer Antonio Ingroia, requested a plea bargain of one year and eight months, while lawyers acting on behalf of the company Martinina have requested a plea deal involving a 15,000 euro fine and a 20-month ban from contracting with public administration.
Consiglia C. Alessandro F's mother, has not yet proposed a plea bargain.
Proceedings have been postponed until December 18 to give the judicial administrator time to hand over the management of the center to a new company that won a tender to begin operations. A report on the transition is expected to be filed in the coming weeks.
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Other charges
Almost a year ago, on December 13, 2023, prosecutors obtained the seizure of the Martinina branch that managed the CPR.
Investigations uncovered such poor conditions that it became necessary to appoint a judicial administrator.
Some findings included "food infested with worms," a lack of cultural and linguistic mediators, constant use of "psychotropic drugs," and dilapidated beds and bathrooms, among other issues.
Additionally, Alessandro F. faces charges related to "counterfeit documentation" used in other "bidding processes" for the management of migrant reception centers across Milan, and the southern Italian towns of Salerno, Brindisi, and Taranto. Alessandro F. has been named as the de facto administrator of a company called Engel Italia srl as well as the company being investigated for its operations relating to Via Corelli in Milan, Martinina.
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