Press Interpreter

09/29/05 -- GOVERNOR FAZIO UNDER INVESTIGATION SINCE AUGUST -- Call to appear in the Antonveneta case prepared. Meanwhile, the Superior Council renews its trust in him. -- ROME -- Following swirling rumors, it's now official: now a call to appear has also been prepared for Fazio. The governor has been investigated since the beginning of August for official abuse. This is the criminal hypothesis made by the Procura of Rome in the realm of the investigation on the Roman implications of the BPI's hike on Antonveneta. The overseer of Palazzo Koch's management, Francesco Frasca, is also on the list of those being investigated for the same crime. The news, which the pm said was kept secret for nearly two months because maximum reserve was desired, arrives on the day a majority of the Superior Council of the institution, on Via Nazionale, reaffirms its faith in the governor.

NO RETRACTION - The decision of the council is not of secondary importance, since it is the sole entity competent to dismiss the occupants of Palazzo Koch. But the retraction procedure, which must be launched with a request signed by 9 of the 13 members, has not been initiated and might never be initiated.

THE COUNCIL - The announcement nevertheless does not come as a surprise, considering the composition of the Council itself. In the note, it is specified that "a large number of the councillors" have expressed confidence in Fazio. As said, there are 13 councillors in all. The super-councillors are elected by regional assemblies of the Bank of Italy. However, the indication of the names, as the unions have denounced, comes directly from the governor. The entity - also according to the autonomous unions - has been reduced to an office for the ratification of the decisions made by Fazio. "The trust in Antonio Fazio on the part of the Superior Council of the Bank of Italy is like asking a host if the wine is good," the UDC's Bruno Tabacci heatedly remarks.

THE DEAN - That notwithstanding, Paolo Emilio Ferreri, dean of the council and one of the governor's most faithful allies, emphasizes that "all councillors having been heard, none of them believes in the occurrence of motives requiring the convocation of the Council in an extraordinary session." Ferreri could not be more explicit: "It's a closed chapter for us at this point, already said and written, and there's nothing to add."

THE UNION - On the union side, the position of FABI bears mentioning. The primary union of the banking sector has released a dispatch in which it declares itself opposed to the request for resignation, believing it "dangerous and inopportune" to press the issue. However, it is departing from a substantial premise: "In delicate moments such as the one the country is experiencing" - underlines FABI - "coolness, rational capacity, and transparency of conduct all become necessary. [We] have first taken a clear position against the actions of the governor in occasion of the scandal of telephone interceptions and decisively confirm the position expressed at that time. Today, however" - concludes the dispatch - "it is our duty to reason with coolness and conscience on the political priorities to be resolved in this grave moment of crisis regarding the future of the country."

[Full article]

[Corriere della Sera]

By **no byline**

Translated by Squeegie

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