Pesaro, 22 July (LaPresse) – Matteo Ricci, PD MEP and candidate for the leadership of the Marche Region, received a notice of investigation this morning regarding the “Affidopoli” inquiry that broke out a year ago. The inquiry focuses on the awarding of contracts for murals, installations and events in the city of Pesaro to associations at the time when Ricci was mayor (until June 2024). The Democratic Party representative himself confirmed the news in a video posted on social media. 'I have something to tell you. Surprisingly, this morning I received a notice of investigation. A notice of investigation was delivered to me regarding the long-standing affair of contracts, murals, parties and Valentino Rossi's helmet, which has been in the press for a year now. I am surprised because in my entire life, in 15 years of administration, I have never dealt with public foster care or public works. I have always trusted my managers and my colleagues blindly, as I did in this case," he states in the video, holding the document in his hand. He continues: “We are talking about work that has been completed, parties that were successful, and I have never had any kind of report that was different or strange regarding the execution of the work. I have repeated this for months. Obviously, I will also repeat it to the prosecutor, whom I hope to see as soon as possible”. On the charge, Ricci says: "It's quite curious, because I'm told that I didn't gain any financial benefit, obviously, but that I gained a benefit in terms of political support, i.e. that these murals and these parties would have increased my political support. And they are saying something that I absolutely deny, that I knew these associations, when in fact I have never had any direct dealings with them. So I am obviously calm about the matter. I have discussed the charges with my lawyer and I am very calm about the matter, but I am also very bitter. I am very bitter and very angry because, as you can understand, this comes the day after the election was called. After a year of investigations, it is clear that there is also a lot of bitterness and a lot of anger. However, as always, I have confidence in the work of the judiciary. I am convinced that we will immediately refute these accusations because we are completely uninvolved in the events,' he continues. 'In fact, when a mayor governs, he has many collaborators, and if a collaborator makes a mistake, the mayor is the injured party because the trust he has placed in that collaborator has been betrayed. However, there is also a great deal of serenity because I am completely uninvolved in the facts, I have never been involved in them and I am convinced that this will soon be clarified. This includes with the prosecutor who is conducting the investigation, so I will keep you updated'. Finally, Ricci concludes: “However, everything must be faced with great serenity and by standing up for oneself, as I have always done in my life”.