Legal Battles Emerge as Gardenia Cooperative Lands in Bankruptcy and Arrests
The keys to the houses have not arrived, and there is still no confirmed date for their delivery. However, there are developments on the legal front for the 22 lonatese families who had relied on the Gardenia cooperative to finally acquire a property.
Unfortunately, while the houses were almost completed in the beautiful hilly area of the Sanctuary of San Martino, in June 2000 the cooperative was placed into compulsory administrative liquidation by a sentence of the Tribunal of Como.
In April of this year, the houses, which comprised 16 apartments and 6 terraced houses, were finished, but the members, who had in the meantime paid more or less substantial sums—some 50, some 70 million and others even 200 million lire—decided to protect their interests by turning to lawyer Davide Badinelli from Lonate.
Investigations and Arrests
The lawyer, who maintains contacts with the bankruptcy trustee of the cooperative, informed the representatives of the families’ group of the latest initiatives undertaken by the magistrates of Como. The Gardenia cooperative was based in this city, even though it had launched construction sites in several municipalities across Lombardy.
Last September 19, following the investigation into the bankruptcy of 27 construction cooperatives, Luciano Lollusa was arrested. He appears to be linked, either directly or indirectly, to the failure of several cooperatives scattered across the provinces of Brescia, Como, and Varese.
Prosecutor Claudio Galoppi issued the order of pre-trial detention for Lollusa, who, in addition to fraudulent bankruptcy, is accused of corporate crimes including false in financial statements and false social communications.
The Guardia di Finanza reportedly clarified the fraudulent scheme used by the businessman, who was never officially listed as a member of the cooperative, to ruin dozens of unsuspecting buyers.
Alongside Luciano Lollusa, Alessandro Franchini and Massimo Grignani, members of the Gardenia cooperative’s board of directors, were placed under house arrest. Their charges also include fraudulent bankruptcy, false in financial statements, and fake invoices.
Reactions and Family Testimonials
“We are closely following the course of the investigations with great concern,” explains Donatella Gallerini, one of the representatives of the families involved in the bankruptcy. “We hope that full clarity will be reached as soon as possible regarding personal responsibilities, and that our problems can quickly find a positive solution.”
The entire story began when the construction company Gardenia, based in Como, entered into an agreement with the Municipality of Lonato to build houses in an area between the Sanctuary of San Martino and the località Pozze, similar to other companies.
This substantial construction project included several hundred units. The Lonate site of Gardenia was planned to include 22 apartments with a total cost of 4 billion 342 million lire.
Other sites operated by the cooperative were in Fino Mornasco (Como), Canzo (Como), Comerio (Varese), and Urago d’Oglio.
Additionally, Gardenia was part of the broader Consorzio Fidal scrl, along with seven other cooperatives. According to the legal history of the members’ lawyer, four of these cooperatives and the same consortium have been placed into mandatory administrative liquidation.
Furthermore, Gardenia was excluded from the regional public housing contribution scheme for not having achieved an adequate score.
