The commander of Italy's Carabinieri, Luongo, said that if anyone in the force made mistakes in the Garlasco case, they will be held responsible, according to ANSA and Corriere Milano. His comments came during an appearance on Tg1, the reports said.
At the center of the case is the destruction of evidence by the Ris, the Carabinieri's forensic science unit. According to Adnkronos and Tgcom24, some liquid exhibits were destroyed in 2016 — six years before judges gave approval for the items to be examined. Virgilio reports that among the eliminated evidence was a fingerprint identified as print 33.
Prosecutors are now investigating the matter, with Adnkronos describing suspicions among the pm, or public prosecutors, over how the exhibits came to be destroyed. Corriere Milano reports the case has become a focus of attention around the Ris's handling of material connected to the Garlasco investigation.
The timeline is central to the scrutiny: the destruction reportedly took place in 2016, while judicial authorization for work on the exhibits came only in 2022. That gap is what has drawn the attention of prosecutors and prompted Luongo's public response.
Luongo's statement signals that the Carabinieri leadership is not ruling out internal fault. He did not name any individuals or specify what consequences might follow, according to the reports.
What to watch next: whether prosecutors open a formal case against specific Ris personnel, and whether the Carabinieri release details of an internal review into the 2016 destruction.
