Mayor of Venice Resigns Amid Corruption Scandal

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/06/14/world/europe/mayor-of-venice-resigns-amid-corruption-scandal.html

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ROME — Venice’s mayor, Giorgio Orsoni, resigned on Friday amid a mounting corruption scandal connected with the construction of a colossal flood-barrier system designed to save the lagoon city from flooding.

Mr. Orsoni was arrested last week and charged with receiving illegal campaign donations for the 2010 mayoral election that prosecutors say were related to the construction project. Under the terms of a plea bargain, Mr. Orsoni agreed to accept a four-month suspended sentence and a fine, but he denied any wrongdoing.

More than 30 people have been arrested in the case, and investigators are studying whether millions of dollars in bribes were accepted in exchange for awarding contracts for the project.

Mr. Orsoni had pledged to continue as mayor after his release on Thursday, but he changed his mind less than 24 hours later, citing a lack of support from the Democratic Party that had backed his government.

He said the “opportunistic and hypocritical reactions” to his return as mayor had convinced him that he and his administration did not have the backing of a majority of Venetians.

“It is with great bitterness that I conclude my mandate, certain that I have always worked in the interest of the city and its citizens,” he said.

A city commissioner will be named to replace the mayor until the next election, in 2015.