Update: We won! In November 2018 Gas Natural finally cancelled its Trieste LNG terminal project.
The front page of investigative newspaper “La Voce di Trieste” no. 14, of October 27th, 2012 when it denounced the corruption that affects Trieste comparing it to that of Southern Italy.
THEY WANT TO CONVICT THE ONLY JOURNALIST COURAGE ENOUGH TO DENOUNCE THE LOCAL NETWORK OF CORRUPTION. A NATIONALISTIC CAMORRA THAT WANTS TO FORCE SPANISH COMPANY GAS NATURAL’S LNG TERMINAL IN TRIESTE
Trieste: on 23 November [2016] Paolo G. Parovel, investigative journalist and director of independent newspaper “La Voce di Trieste” is standing before Court.
He is charged with offending Spanish multinational company Gas Natural’s reputation with 2012 article “Corruzione anche a Trieste come nel Sud” (Corruption: in Trieste it is like in Southern Italy). The article analyses the Spanish multinational company’s LNG terminal project. And how all local Italian authorities support it, and trying to it in Trieste’s international Free Port.
Yet, the LNG terminal is only a fraction of the article. The analysis provides a realistic outlook to Trieste’s decaying local authorities and their misgovernment.
The article covers it all. From the Free Port, arbitrarily abandoned to unleash building speculations (which would destroy Trieste’s economy), to irregular tendering procedures, healthcare malfunctions, judicial errors, to the role of the media in general. The criminal network described in the article is behind it all.
It is a criminal network very much alike those in the well-known, unfortunate Southern Italian regions. Except for one thing. In Trieste, this corrupt network enjoys wide impunities. Because this is a nationalistic camorra, that exploits Trieste’s status.
Indeed, Trieste is the capital city of the Free Territory, an independent sovereign State with the only existing international Free Port.
It is the only one because it is established and regulated with international legal instruments: the 1947 Italian Peace Treaty, and UNSC Resolution S/RES/16(1947).
This is why that port is established as the Free Territory’s state corporation, and placed at service of all States, without discriminations.
Also, it is an International Commission to manage the Free Port. The chairperson is the present-day Free Territory of Trieste’s representative, the members are delegates of France, the United Kingdom, the United States of America, the USSR (now Russia and other successor States), Yugoslavia (now Slovenia, Croatia, and other successor States), Italy, Czechoslovakia (now Czechia and Slovakia) Poland, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary.
Since 1954, Trieste’s special administration is sub-entrusted to the Italian Government by the primary administering Governments – those of the U.S. and of the U.K. – under the Memorandum of Understanding regarding the Free Territory of Trieste.
However, this special trusteeship mandate did soon become a simulation of Italian sovereignty. And this is illegal even in the Italian legal order. Who is responsible for this? Easy, a nationalistic camorra. The same one that is supporting Gas Natural.
Because the LNG terminal, itself illegal, would prevent Trieste from receiving valuable maritime traffics (containers). Resulting in their diversion to the Italian ports (especially those in Southern Italy, which are controlled by organized criminality). At the same time, it would jeopardize Slovenia’s only port, Koper-Capodistria.
“La Voce di Trieste” has an article exactly about the Italian sabotage of the strategic Trieste and Koper ports: LINK.
But the journalist that the local Prosecution Office wants to jail for 9 months is also one of the main opponents to the attempted removal of Trieste’s Northern Free Port of Trieste from State property. Indeed, this attempt is itself illegal, it breaches international and Italian law. And again, the local Italian authorities support it. All of them, across the board.
Repression by judicial means. This is how they clear out all the legality left in Trieste. This system of corruption wants to annihilate the people of Trieste’s resistance. And it goes as far as attempting to silence free press.
This is the local system willing to destroy Trieste’s international Free Port and to force a LNG terminal. All for the gain of Italian mafias.
On November 23rd [2016] Paolo G. Parovel won’t face trial alone. All the Triestine people who support legality and the rule of law, who want to protect the Free Port, and the right to work are standing by his side.
Translated from blog “Ambiente e Legalità” – “Environment and Legality” by Roberto Giurastante