Prosecutors in the northwestern Italian city of Biella have placed five people under investigation after a search operation conducted as part of an investigation by finance police into alleged gangmastering in public works.
Five people have been charged with exploiting foreign workers, personal injuries through negligence aggravated by the violation of safety rules and irregular subcontracts in the Piedmont city of Biella.
The local State Attorney's Office filed search warrants against the five suspects as part of an investigation carried out by the finance police over alleged gangmastering in public works.
The investigation kicked off after a worker, originally from North Africa, filed a complaint following an accident at a dam in Ingagna di Mongrando near Biella.
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19 searches conducted on October 15 after complaint last year
The worker had a finger amputated due to the accident and filed a complaint in 2024, telling the finance police that he and his co-workers were allegedly exploited.
On October 15, 60 finance police officers carried out 19 operations, searching homes, businesses and construction sites to look for evidence in the regions of Piedmont, Liguria, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Marche, Campania, Basilicata and Calabria.
The operation, called 'Green Star', was conducted by tax police from Biella and involved units from the provinces of Turin, Vercelli, Genoa, Rovigo, Bologna, Macerata, Napoli, Caserta, Potenza and Cosenza.
Finance police (Guardia di Finanza) in Biella began by probing the accident and ended up allegedly discovering a gangmastering ring, according to investigative sources.
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Foreign citizens with regular work permits allegedly exploited
The finance police in fact discovered that several foreign citizens with regular permits who were in a state of need were forced to work long shifts, well beyond legal limits, without breaks, days off and adequate holidays.
In addition, they worked in poor hygienic conditions, undertaking dangerous tasks without appropriate protection in place, for inadequate wages, enduring threats and violence if they protested, investigative sources said.
Investigators also suspect the involvement of illegal subcontracts in some of the cases examined and that work was carried out without the communication and approval required by law.