Condominium created at a table to illegally access the Superbonus

Financial Police, Provincial Command of Syracuse

SYRACUSE - A "phantom condominium" was deliberately created to illegally access the 110% Superbonus. This is the crux of the complex scam uncovered by the Guardia di Finanza (Financial Police) of the Syracuse provincial command, which on Friday, November 7, 2025, led to the precautionary seizure of assets and tax credits worth over €10 million. According to investigations coordinated by the Syracuse Public Prosecutor's Office, the scam was masterminded by a representative of a Syracuse-based construction company with the aim of obtaining undue tax benefits by simulating the creation of a condominium that never actually existed. It all began with the purchase of a disused hotel of over 5,000 square meters, located in the capital, for approximately €1 million. The completely abandoned building was transformed by the company through a complex redevelopment project into a modern residential complex, some of whose apartments have already been sold.

The preliminary contracts only implied a mutual sales commitment between the parties

All of this, however, was carried out at the state's expense. To carry out the illicit transaction, the company, after purchasing the hotel, first proceeded with the land registry subdivision of the property, creating 101 units including apartments, garages, and motorcycle garages. Subsequently, it signed five preliminary sales contracts with compliant parties, including the legal representative's wife and several family members of the partners. A few days later, the five private individuals and the company representative held a meeting, during which they drafted minutes establishing the creation of a condominium. A transaction that, at first glance, might have seemed legitimate. However, as confirmed by the Guardia di Finanza, there was no actual transfer of ownership behind those documents, as the preliminary contracts merely implied a mutual sale commitment between the parties. Therefore, in reality, all the apartments continued to be owned by the company that had originally purchased the entire building.

Tax breaks provided by the 110% Superbonus

To complete the scam, the "condominium" then signed three contracts for energy efficiency improvements, the installation of photovoltaic systems, and seismic retrofitting of the building, entrusting the work to a consortium based in the province of Ragusa. Upon completion of the work, the consortium submitted an application to the Revenue Agency for tax credits totaling approximately €15 million, obtaining tax credits amounting to "only" €10 million. Investigations subsequently revealed that the illicitly generated tax credits were assigned to the consortium that had carried out the work. The consortium, in turn, transferred them—monetized—to a multinational energy company, which was found to be completely unrelated to the fraud. In conclusion, the construction company used the "condominium" scheme to access undue financial benefits, as the law expressly prohibits obtaining the tax breaks provided by the 110% Superbonus for carrying out "business activities" and for renovating the entire property at state expense, with a view to subsequently selling the apartments.

Preventive seizure of assets, bank accounts, and tax credits of the construction company

Based on the evidence gathered, the local judicial authorities have ordered the registration of 11 individuals—one company and ten individuals—under investigation for the crimes of fraud against the state and aggravated fraud in obtaining public funds. At the request of the magistrates, the preliminary investigations judge then ordered the precautionary seizure, including seizure of equivalent value, of assets, bank accounts, and tax credits of the construction company and the sham buyers, totaling over €10 million. The operation, carried out by the Guardia di Finanza of Syracuse, represents a significant new achievement in the fight against construction incentive fraud, a phenomenon that continues to pose a major threat to public finances and the integrity of the state incentive system. At present, the position of the persons under investigation refers exclusively to the investigation phase, and therefore they are presumed innocent until a final conviction is issued that establishes their responsibility at the conclusion of the trial, which will be conducted in an adversarial manner with the defense before an impartial third-party judge. This trial may also conclude with proof of the absence of any form of responsibility.

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