A WhatsApp message reading “Excellent that the Olympic village procedure is moving fast… Monday at 3pm works for me… see you at Coima” forms part of the evidence in a major urban planning corruption investigation. The message, dated September 29, 2022, was sent by Giuseppe Marinoni—then president of Milan’s Landscape Commission—to a manager at real estate developer Coima.
Both Marinoni and Coima founder Manfredi Catella face potential arrest, with judge for preliminary investigations Mattia Fiorentini reviewing prosecutors’ requests. Catella has formally denied accusations of corruption and improper inducement before the court.
Investigators from the Guardia di Finanza’s financial police unit, coordinated by prosecutors Marina Petruzzella, Paolo Filippini, and Mauro Clerici, reconstructed Marinoni’s digital calendar and meetings through seized records. Their analysis uncovered extensive communications, including chats between Marinoni and Catella, as well as between Marinoni and the Coima executive.
Evidence indicates at least 25 documented instances—including meetings, calls, and project reminders related to Coima—occurred between March 2022 and November 2023, when authorities confiscated Marinoni’s phone.