By Martin Banks - 16th April 2007
Three men arrested in a multi-million-euro corruption scandal have been further remanded in custody.
The three Italians appeared before a judge in Brussels on 11 April who decided they should be held in custody for another month.
They are accused of forgery, fraud, bribery and criminal association.
The Brussels prosecutors’ office said police were still sifting through mountains of material collected in dawn raids last month.
“The court of appeal is due to rule later this month whether they should continue to be held,” said Jos Colpin, a spokesman for the office.
It is believed there may be more arrests in the case. Colpin said the alleged corruption lasted more than a decade and involved several million euros.
The three arrested men are Giancarlo Ciotti, a mid-ranking commission official, Angelo Troiano, a businessman and Sergio Tricarico, a researcher for Gianni Rivera a footballer turned MEP.
The MEP is rarely seen in Brussels and is not suspected of involvement.
The businessman is alleged to have paid bribes to obtain contracts to find premises and provide security, equipment to commission embassies outside the EU and delegations to international institutions.
The case was brought to light following a complaint from a Finnish company.
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