Reserve still surprises the Mose of the waste and of bribesthe stabs in the back and the settling of accounts between men of the institutions, gods debts for hundreds of millions and gods infinite times. Six months after being suspended from office without salary and three months after retiring, Cinzia Zinconeformer supervisor of Public Works of the Triveneto, sues to the Ministry of Infrastructure. Not only does he ask for the annulment of a measure that he considers unfair and unfounded, but also the reimbursement of salaries that have not been paid and an overall biological and image damage equal to 150 thousand euros. In total, the request could touch i 200 thousand euros. The public manager, who relied on lawyers Giuliano Marchi, Giada Palladini e Alvise Benedetelli of Venice, she explains: “After a life spent honestly serving the state, I was treated worse than the one who stole. They suspended me, they warned me to go back to the office, I was even deprived of my e-mail… It’s not for vendetta that I turned to the Labor Court, but a protection of my image e dignity”.
The premise dates back to last summer. Cinzia Zincone had been nominated Provider in early 2020, a few months after the second highest water ever it had submerged Veneziawith the Mose locked and the New Venice Consortium far from completing the work of the mechanical gates at the inlets. The government had just nominated Elizabeth Spitz extraordinary commissioner to speed up the work, while in autumn 2020 a liquidator from the Consortium arrived, the accountant Massimo Miani. In the midst of the controversy over unpaid debts to creditor companies and with works irremediably blockedZincone had received a dispute disciplinary, followed by 3 months of suspension without pay, practically until December, the time to retire. She was accused of having unduly paid a creditor company with approx 800 thousand euros. Another precautionary suspension of 30 days followed due to an interview in which he stated: “The special commissioner (Spitz, ed) it’s a useless figure, as demonstrated by the delays in the works “. It was an uproar in Venice and the former Water Authority who in 2014 was overwhelmed by the scandal of bribes. Atonement for the suspension and now retired, Zincone is now going to counterattack of the Ministry of Infrastructure.
“THEY DID NOT PAY, BUT THE MONEY WERE THERE” – In the appeal of 35 pages first of all, the former superintendent removes a few pebbles. “Starting from the beginning of 2020, the Venezia Nuova Consortium has progressively omitted the payment to the executing companies that have been deprived of the accrued fees in respect of the work performed and despite the presentation of regular progress reports. This circumstance certainly does not derive – as CVN argued – from lack of fundingas the entire contract price had already been financed in 2017. Indeed, after three years of staying in the budget chapters, part of the funds are even returned in the state coffers because unused. Consequently, some serious problems system suitable to constitute an obvious wound for the purpose of completing the work “.
835 THOUSAND EURO AT THE CLODIA – The society Clodiawhich dealt with the vigilance at the mouth of the port of Chioggia it advanced 4 million and 736 thousand euros. On 15 July the Provveditore had paid directly 835 thousand euros. “It is reasonable to believe that this payment contributed to safeguard the city from high autumn tides ”, explains the lawyer in the appeal. The ministry did not think the same way and with extraordinary timeliness on 23 July here is it disciplinary dispute for making a payment “preferentialnot allowed, in violation of the level playing field of creditors ”and in contrast with a decision regarding the debts to be paid taken in a meeting attended by – among others – Zincone, Spitz and Miani. Despite the explanations, the administrator had been suspended for three months from 21 September. A penalty that was added to the 30 days due to the interview, taken in August, but then reduced to only 200 euro administrative sanction.
“I ONLY DONE MY DUTY” – In the appeal, Cinzia Zincone disputes all the points. “The dispute is generic, there has not been nor neglectneither damage nor partiality of treatment. The Clodia company was not part of the Consortium. In addition, the direct payment was compulsory as established by the National Anti-Corruption Authority and by the Court of Venice itself “. Furthermore, “the persistence of the nonpayment of these amounts due would have allowed the company Clodia to legitimately raise thedefault exceptionthereby exposing the city of Venice to the deadly embrace exceptional tides “. In a word: “It was an act due in the face of inability by the Venezia Nuova Consortium to manage the debt situation towards consortium members and creditors. The Superintendent, remedying the inertia of the Consortium, in addition to protect a right of the creditor company, has demonstrated the efficiency and effectiveness of the Public Administration which, through direct payment, has safeguarded the public interest”.
“DAMAGE TO HEALTH” – The former Superintendent complains of having suffered psycho-physical damage (even permanent ones) from the situation in which “a faithful servant of the state” found herself, suddenly deprived of her important work. You accuse the public administration of having disseminated information relating to disciplinary proceedings causing her image damage. He complains that he has suffered harm regarding the possibility of receiving new assignments at the time of retirement, considering that she had been appointed for a certain period of time Special Commissioner of the Port System Authority of the Northern Adriatic Sea.