Notice of guarantee to the mayor Bugetti. “I am confident, always been correct”

Prato, June 13, 2025 – A real tsunami , the one that overwhelmed the administration of Prato this morning. If the issue of electoral contributions had been discussed for a while, this morning the bomb exploded: the mayor Ilaria Bugetti is being investigated for corruption by the DDA of Florence . This morning she was notified of the notice of investigation and personal, local and computer searches were carried out (including in municipal offices). As part of the investigation, the DDA of Florence requested the precautionary measure of prison for the entrepreneur from Prato Riccardo Matteini Bresci.

The mayor: "I am available"

The news began to circulate mid-morning, then around 11:30 the mayor herself released a statement: "With this statement, as mayor of Prato, I believe it is my duty to immediately communicate that I have received today, June 13, a notice of investigation from the Public Prosecutor's Office of Florence. I am communicating these circumstances - writes Mayor Bugetti - at the precise moment in which the investigative operations have ended. In relation to the content of this notice, I have immediately placed myself at the disposal of the proceeding authority in mutual respect of roles. From now on, I reiterate my absolute trust in the work of the judiciary and the police, and I will not avoid any feedback, explaining my reasons, trusting in the fact and having the certainty that my actions have always been characterized by personal, institutional and legal correctness . As said, I am at the disposal of the investigating bodies and with confidence I will continue in my role with dedication and attention to the common good as I have always done".

The accusations

The investigation by the District Anti-Mafia Directorate started from the investigation that in May 2024 brought to the headlines the story of the former commander of the Prato Carabinieri company, Sergio Turini, and the Prato textile entrepreneur Riccardo Matteini Bresci , former head of the Colle Group, a top name in the Prato textile district.

The legal case of Matteini Bresci and Turini was then closed with a plea bargain. From that investigative activity this second thread was born, which focuses on the relationship between the textile entrepreneur and the mayor – who in the past had a working relationship with Matteini Bresci – ever since Bugetti was a regional councilor. The accusation hypothesis therefore concerns the possibility that the entrepreneur, asking for a sort of protection for his company, managed to channel votes in favor of Bugetti's election.

It was then the chief prosecutor of Florence, Filippo Spiezia , who confirmed that the investigation also concerns events that occurred when Bugetti was a regional councilor.

Political reactions

Words of guarantor and solidarity towards Bugetti, but very harsh on the Tuscan political system, arrive

from MP Erica Mazzetti ( Forza Italia ): "In the past, a centre-right mayor, the only one, was dismantled by continuous actions by the judiciary; therefore, I remain a guarantor . Especially with opponents who have never been so with us. However, I cannot help but note that, when power is exercised uninterruptedly and without natural discontinuity – this happens in Tuscany – systems of exchange, financing, and favours are consolidated, which it is good, for democracy and sound administration, to see clearly. I have known Ilaria Bugetti for over twenty years and, despite our political differences, I am close to her in this difficult moment, because as liberals we are used to judging political actions, certainly not personal or judicial events".

"We absolutely do not want to replace the valuable work of investigators and the judiciary, but it is clear, from now on, that if the serious accusations of corruption against the mayor of Prato Ilaria Bugetti" of the Democratic Party "were confirmed, then we will expect her immediate resignation". This is stated in a note by the League with Luca Baroncini, Elisa Montemagni and Claudiu Stanasel, respectively regional secretary of Tuscany, group leader in the Regional Council and group leader in the Municipal Council of Prato. "It would be unthinkable and unacceptable, in our opinion, for the mayor to continue in her mandate - the members of the League specify - We must have the utmost respect for the people of Prato and if what they accuse her of were reality, Prato could absolutely no longer be administered by her". "We are and will remain guarantors - they conclude -, but the serious issue that emerged today must not, however, be underestimated in the slightest".

And the issue of electoral funding was discussed in the last city council with a question time presented by Cosimo Zecchi , Tommaso Cocci and Rita Pieri . "On the publication of electoral expenses - Zecchi had just returned to the topic just before the news of the investigation arrived - we have been bouncing around for months in an incomprehensible manner. According to the mayor's response, these should be freely consultable at the Regional Electoral Guarantee Board, but the reality is different. The board is consultable, it is true, only with prior authorization, without extracting a copy, of a limited and well-defined number of practices already archived, therefore not a massive vision. While the law states that "the statement of expenses of candidates and lists must also be made public, within thirty days of the end of the electoral campaign". And this is not published or accessible to date. I will simplify the request: citizens have the right by law to know the parties and candidates who run for elections from whom they took the money and how they spent it.

As for the latest elections in Prato, this information is partial or completely missing. So I simplify the question: why? The answer is bluntly interpreted with interpretations of the law, referring to a mechanism that is not very clear and accessible, when faced with a clear request for transparency that comes from outside the municipal building, one should respond by exposing oneself to dispel any doubts and allusions”.