Suspension bridge over the Strait of Messina is targeted by corruption investigators

Italy's ambitious "project of the century" to build a bridge over the Strait of Messina is now facing corruption investigations, marking a significant setback for Transport Minister Matteo Salvini.

Three individuals have been targeted by Rome's chief prosecutor, Francesco Lo Voi, with investigations into corruption and breach of official secrets. This legal scrutiny adds another layer of difficulty to the long-envisioned project, which aims to connect mainland Italy with Sicily.

The bridge proposal has a history of challenges. Last autumn, the Court of Auditors blocked the construction, citing violations of EU regulations on public project financing and a lack of proper environmental impact assessments. This veto alone threatened to delay the project for years.

The current government under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni had embraced the project, a dream dating back to Giuseppe Garibaldi. However, the combined pressures from financial oversight bodies and now the criminal justice system cast a long shadow over its future.