SISMI-Telecom scandal

The SISMI-Telecom scandal, uncovered in Italy in 2006, refers to a surveillance scandal believed to have began in 1996, under which more than 5,000 persons' phones were tapped.

First arrests

As part of the judiciary investigation on the "Imam Rapito" case, the Italian justice discovered an illegal domestic surveillance program run by Marco Mancini, former #2 of the SISMI military intelligence agency, with the help of Giuliano Tavaroli, former chief of security at the Italian Telecom company and of Pirelli, and private Florentine detective Emanuele Cipriani. All authorized requests made by magistrates to make wiretaps passed by Tavaroli [http://www.edri.org/edrigram/number4.15/italy Telecom Italia wiretapping scandal] , "EDRI-gram" - Number 4.15, 2 August 2006 en icon] .

On July 21, 2006, Adamo Bove, predecessor of Tavaroli as responsible of security at the Telecom company and former DIGOS member, committed suicide in Naples. Bove had discovered a flaw in the system which enabled people to enter the Telecom system and implement wiretaps without leaving a trace . He had announced this fact to the Milan magistrates, leading to the top-secret investigation .

Giuliano Tavaroli, the chief of security of Telecom, was arrested on September 20, 2006, along with twenty others persons, including policemen and others members of the secret services, on charges of spying and corruption. The files included reports on the Democrats of the Left (DS) and others politicians [http://www.repubblica.it/2006/12/sezioni/cronaca/sismi-mancini-8/dossier-ds/dossier-ds.html "Da Telecom dossier sui Ds" Mancini parla dei politici] , "La Repubblica", 26 January 2007 it icon ] .

Marco Mancini and Emanuele Cipriani were arrested on December 13, 2006. They were charged of conspiracy of corruption and of revealing professional secrets. Mancini allegedly received money from Cipriani and Tavaroli, who constituted approximatively 30 reports on magistrates, journalists, businessmens and politicians and members of others intelligence agencies (SISDE).

Using confidential information provided by Mancini via his work at SISMI, Cipriani is accused by the Italian magistrates to have constituted files on various figures of the political, mediatic and financial world [ [http://www.repubblica.it/2006/12/sezioni/cronaca/sismi-mancini-8/arrestato-mancini/arrestato-mancini.html Inchiesta Telecom, Mancini arrestato per i dossier e le intercettazioni illegali] , "La Repubblica", 12 December 2006 it icon ] .

5,000 targets

Targets of the surveillance program included "La Repubblica" reporters Giuseppe D'Avanzo and Carlo Bonini, who broke the Yellowcake forgery story and who also broke this scandal. Valentino's creative director Alessandra Facchinetti was also tapped [http://www.vogue.co.uk/news/daily/080723-alessandra-facchinettis-phone-tapp.aspx Don't Call Us] , "Vogue", 23 July 2008 en icon] . Further investigations uncovered that more than 5,000 persons (including politicians, magistrates, football players and referees ) had been placed under illegal surveillance. The scheme, allegedly instigated by Giulio Tavaroli and Marco Mancini, is believed to have began in 1996 . Data was analyzed using Enterprise Miner (from SAS System) and Analyst's Notebook .

According to "La Repubblica", the main mystery concerned the exact use of these files. Money is one of the first, clear motive: participants to the deal, including Marco Mancini, Giuliano Tavaroli, Emanuele Cipriani, as well as former CIA agent John Spinelli, and a former SISDE fiduciary, Marco Bernardini, shared between them 20 millions euros. Mancini and Tavaroli met John Spinelli in 1986, when he was a CIA officer in charge of relationship with the Italian services. According to the investigations, both Tavaroli and Mancini were "related" to the CIA .

References

See also

*Imam Rapito affair
*Italian political scandals

External links

* [http://www.lastampa.it/redazione/cmsSezioni/cronache/200609articoli/11060girata.asp (IT) Source: La Stampa "Ordinanza 23.09.2006 GIP Dott.ssa Paola Belsito: il nome di tutti gli arrestati e i capi di imputazione]
* [http://static.repubblica.it/milano/pdf/telecom/telec_1.pdf (IT) Informazione di garanzia e avviso di conclusione delle indagini, 14.07.2008 - 1st part ] [http://static.repubblica.it/milano/pdf/telecom/telec_2.pdf - 2nd part ] [http://static.repubblica.it/milano/pdf/telecom/telec_3.pdf - 3rd part]
* [http://www.media.rai.it/mpmedia/0,,RaiTre-Report%5E21331,00.html (IT) Il servizio della trasmissione televisiva Report 25.03.07 sullo scandalo Telecom - video]
* [http://www.report.rai.it/R2_popup_articolofoglia/0,7246,243%5E1071124,00.html (IT) Il servizio della trasmissione televisiva Report sullo scandalo Telecom - full verbatim]
* [http://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/SoleOnLine4/Finanza%20e%20Mercati/2008/07/telecom-tronchetti-dossier-illegali.shtml?uuid=f100eb24-56f0-11dd-ac41-cd63f8eefc4e&DocRulesView=Libero (IT) Source: Il Sole 24 ore, 21.07.2008 "Dossier illegali Telecom, Tronchetti e Buora vittime"]
* [http://milano.repubblica.it/dettaglio/Dossier-illeciti-Telecom-ecco-latto-integrale-dei-pm/1490932 (IT) Source: La Repubblica, 22.07.2008 "Dossier illeciti Telecom: ecco l'atto integrale dei PM"]
* [http://www.repubblica.it/2008/07/sezioni/cronaca/dossier-telecom/verita-tavaroli/verita-tavaroli.html (IT) Source: La Repubblica, 21.07.2008, interview to Giuliano Tavaroli - 1st part "E Tronchetti mi disse: le abbiamo chiesto troppo" ] [http://www.repubblica.it/2008/07/sezioni/cronaca/dossier-telecom/verita-tavaroli-2/verita-tavaroli-2.html - 2nd part "Tronchetti mi ordinò un dossier sui soldi ai DS"]
* [http://www.repubblica.it/2008/07/sezioni/cronaca/dossier-telecom/mancini-telecom/mancini-telecom.html (IT) Source: La Repubblica, 25.07.2008, "Mancini racconta la sua verità: 'Pollari riferiva a Tronchetti']