Sempio’s Father Investigated for Alleged Bribe to Pavia Prosecutor

Garlasco: The father of Andrea Sempio, a suspect in the 2007 murder case of economics graduate Chiara Poggi near Pavia, is under investigation for allegedly bribing a prosecutor to drop charges against his son.

According to Ansa News Agency, Giuseppe Sempio is accused of paying former Pavia prosecutor Mario Venditti between 20,000 and 30,000 euros to halt the investigation against Andrea, who was a friend of Poggi’s brother, Marco.

Venditti, who has already been accused of accepting a bribe to clear Sempio, had his residences in Pavia, Genoa, and Campione d’Italia searched last month, along with the homes of two law enforcement officers currently on leave. This follows Venditti’s previous decisions to drop investigations into Sempio. The residences of Sempio’s parents and other relatives were also searched as part of the ongoing investigation.

Chiara Poggi’s former boyfriend, Alberto Stasi, is nearing the end of a 16-year sentence for her murder, a conviction handed down in 2015. Stasi, a former Bocconi business school student, has maintained his innocence throughout, having been acquitted twice before the supreme Cassation Court ordered a retrial. Stasi’s lawyer, Antonio De Rensis, criticized the investigation that led to Stasi’s imprisonment, citing significant errors and the erasure of an alibi.

Andrea Sempio came under investigation earlier this year due to new DNA evidence. The Brescia Prosecutor’s Office noted “a number of anomalies” in a 2017 probe into Sempio, highlighting “opaque contacts” with Venditti’s office and questioning the brief duration of Sempio’s interrogation, which suggested potential advance knowledge by the Sempio family.

Sempio’s lawyer, Massimo Lovati, stated that his client and family members are cooperating with the investigation, dismissing the alleged bribe amount as too small for such high-level corruption. Francesco Compagna, representing Marco Poggi, noted that Chiara Poggi’s parents are “disconcerted” by these developments, expressing concerns over the attempts to reopen an investigation that previously confirmed Stasi’s guilt. Compagna described the situation as a “paradox of paradoxes,” indicating the complex and contentious nature of the case.