Libera report finds 51 Sicilian municipalities non-compliant in asset transparency

A report by the organization Libera, titled ‘RimanDATI’, reveals varying levels of transparency regarding the publication of assets confiscated from organized crime in Italian municipalities. Nationally, transparency is improving, with 79.8% of the 1,174 recipient municipalities regularly publishing lists of confiscated assets on their institutional websites.

However, a geographic divide persists. While Northern Italy shows an 88.5% compliance rate, the South and Islands lag at 75%. In Sicily, out of 208 recipient municipalities, 51 are reported as entirely non-compliant. Of the 157 municipalities that do provide data, many only do so following civic access procedures initiated by Libera. Additionally, the Sicilian Region’s methods for providing data are noted to hinder immediate accessibility.

In response to these findings, the municipality of Melilli has issued a statement clarifying that it is not non-compliant. The local administration asserts that a dedicated section for confiscated assets has been available on its institutional website for years under the ‘Transparent Administration’ category, fulfilling legal requirements for permanent publication and monthly updates.