Cases of corruption in healthcare in Palermo, six precautionary measures executed against public officials and entrepreneurs

The Mobile Squad of Palermo, directed by Antonio Sfameni, is executing six precautionary measures issued by the Gip against public officials and entrepreneurs accused of corruption as part of a wide-ranging investigation into crimes against public administration in the healthcare sector.

Those placed under house arrest include: N.G., 65 years old, "facilitator of requests for recognition of disabling conditions", who had over 1,200,000 euros in cash seized during a search authorized by the Palermo prosecutor's office, packaged in bundles and hidden in boxes, including at another residence in his possession and even inside the vehicle he used.

House arrest also applies to the orthopedic surgeon of ASP G. L., 53 years old, and the orthopedic supplies entrepreneur M. C., 52 years old, both also subject to prohibitory measures related to the performance of public and private activities for a duration of one year.

The ordinance also imposed measures of obligation to present oneself to the judicial police, along with the measure of prohibition from exercising a public office or service on the physiotherapist of ASP B. S., 47 years old, and the neuropsychologist A. S., 36 years old.

Similar prohibitory measures were also applied to B. M., 48 years old, an entrepreneur from Enna in the field of orthopedic supplies.

The provision stems from requests for personal precautionary measures made by the prosecutor's office based on investigations conducted by the anti-corruption section of the mobile squad between 2024 and 2025.

The investigations, conducted with the aid of telephone, environmental, and online wiretaps, have "torn the veil off a widespread and established illegal system", centered around the figure of facilitator N.G. and aimed at altering decisions regarding the recognition of welfare benefits through the production of false certifications by specialists embedded in public healthcare facilities. Considered by the judiciary as a link between a dense network of clients and complicit healthcare professionals, the facilitator, formally a door-to-door salesman, operated within administrative and welfare procedures, demonstrating knowledge of the mechanisms for recognizing benefits and the issues that needed to be overcome through the use of false certifications.