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ROME — Prosecutors in Italy are investigating the founder of the 5Star Movement, comedian Beppe Grillo, for trading in influence, in relation to alleged payments of more than €200,000 made to him by a shipping company.
Grillo benefited from a contract with shipping giant Moby, prosecutors say, which entitled him to payments of €120,000 a year in exchange for visibility and favorable content on his popular blog.
Prosecutors claim Grillo also used his position in the leadership of the 5Stars to help the shipping company by communicating requests to 5Stars lawmakers.
The Milan prosecutor’s office said Moby owner Vincenzo Onorato “asked Beppe Grillo for a series of interventions in Moby’s favor” which he “conveyed to politicians, and reported back with the response.”
The company Beppe Grillo srl, owned by Grillo, received €120,000 per year from Moby in 2018 and 2019, as compensation for “a partnership agreement” relating to the diffusion of “editorial content for the Moby brand on his web channels,” prosecutors said in a press release.
A representative from Grillo’s office declined to speak to POLITICO and the comedian did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. Moby did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The allegations against Grillo were sparked by an investigation into bankruptcy proceedings filed by Moby, Italian news agency ANSA reported. A technical report, attached to documents outlining Moby’s arrangements with creditors, detailed €200,000 paid to Grillo’s company, for a contract “aimed at acquiring advertising visibility for its brand” on Grillo’s blog.
The 5Star Movement has long campaigned on rooting out graft in politics and took office in 2018 on an anti-corruption platform. In 2019, it championed a law, nicknamed Spazzacorrotti, or “Bribe Destroyer,” which increased punishments for bribery and banned those convicted of bribery and corruption from public office.
Grillo maintains a fundamental role in the 5Stars as the ‘guarantor’ or custodian of the Movement’s values, with the power to put forward members for the leadership committee and dismiss the leader.
Source: Politico
