Siracusa establishes commission to audit Siam water service concession

The Municipality of Siracusa has established a technical-administrative commission to conduct an ex-post verification of the water service concession previously managed by Siam, which has now transitioned to Aretusacque.

The commission, chaired by engineer Pierluigi Carugno with legal expert Andrea Provvidenza, will investigate the state of infrastructure, maintenance conditions, and the fulfillment of investment obligations. This follows a significant financial dispute: Siam claimed approximately 21 million euros in owed value, while the local administration calculated a provisional negative takeover value of about 210,000 euros, a matter currently under litigation in the TAR court.

The investigation will focus on four main areas: the consistency of returned assets, the completion and testing of works required by the intervention program, and the correspondence between documentation and the actual field situation.

In response, the Fratelli d’Italia party has criticized the move, labeling it a “waste of public money.” Party leader Paolo Cavallaro questioned the necessity of a paid commission while the matter is sub iudice, arguing that the administration should focus on immediate water network emergencies rather than bureaucratic processes.