Italian officials probed in Naples rubbish crisis

May 27, 2008, 9:12 GMT

Naples, Italy - Several Italian officials including the government's top public order representative in Naples, were placed Tuesday under investigation in connection with the city's rubbish crisis.

'I'm sure the inquiry will clarify the correct nature of my behaviour,' said Alessandro Pansa, the Prefect of Naples and former special commissioner for the rubbish crisis.

Prosecutors on Monday night notified Pansa he was being probed on charges of 'falsehoods while in public office,' he was quoted as saying by the ANSA newsagency.

A total of 25 officials are being investigated on charges including illicit trade in refuse and fraud, with several of them served with house arrest orders on Tuesday morning, news reports said.

The head of the public rescue services' health department in Naples, Marta De Gennaro, was among those placed under house arrest, ANSA reported.

News of the probe came just two days after clashes between police and residents of a Naples suburb protesting against a government proposal to build a rubbish dump in their area.

Newly elected Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has made it his government's first priority to solve the crisis in Naples where refuse has gone mostly uncollected since late December when all existing dump sites became full.

Illegal dumping organized by the local Camorra mafia, which holds a stake in the lucrative waste disposal business, together with officials' ineptitude have been blamed for the crisis.