Press Release

Gesesa informs that this morning it received notification of the provision of the Court of Benevento ordering the release from seizure of the purifiers. Following this judicial measure, Gesesa returns in full possession of all 12 wastewater treatment plants seized in May 2020: three in Benevento (Ponte della Tavole, Capodimonte, Pontecorvo), two in Telese Terme (San Biase and Scafa), one each in Frasso Telesino, Melizzano, Forchia, Castelpoto, Ponte, Sant'Agata de' Goti and Morcone. The latter are added to the other 18 not subject to seizure, for a total of 30 purifiers managed by Gesesa in the Province of Benevento.

The Chairman of the Board of Directors of Gesesa, solicitor Domenico Russo, states: “Today is the best day for me since I took over as Chairman in January 2021. I was aware of the extreme complexity of the situation and the long journey ahead, following the seizure of the 12 purifiers in May 2020 and the related criminal proceedings, which I remember also generating a further seizure of assets valued at over €78 million, in November 2021, which we then managed to overcome by asserting our reasons in court and thus avoiding the very likely bankruptcy of the company. So, a lot of satisfaction is being felt today. This release from the seizure order certifies the quality of the work carried out. On behalf of myself, the Board of Directors and the entire Company, I thank the Judicial Authority for the rigour and attention it has devoted to this matter. Gesesa has made every effort to follow the indications formulated in the exclusive interest of legality, without ever placing itself in opposition. I thank the Forest Carabinieri, the Ecological Operational Unit of the Carabinieri, and ARPAC for the professionalism demonstrated in the timely performance of their respective tasks, aimed at protecting Citizens and the Environment. I thank the Judicial Administrator who has performed his role impeccably, allowing the constructive collaboration of Gesesa through the signing of an agreement on 17th March 2021. I thank all the Mayors of the towns concerned and their respective Administrations for the loyal and fruitful collaboration with Gesesa, despite challenging moments. My personal thanks go to Clemente Mastella, Mayor of Benevento, for the total trust he has always placed in me and my work. Finally, I have the duty to express my heartfelt gratitude to the CEO who, together with the women and men of Gesesa, has worked with great competence and determination on this very long and difficult journey. The moments of discouragement, with consequent periods of tension, were not few, since the highest possible quality was rightly requested in every detail to restore all the systems and to guarantee their compliance with all technical legislative parameters. It has been achieved. Today, thanks to the commitment of all those I mentioned, it is a great day for Benevento, for all the towns of the Province concerned, for the Citizens and for the Environment. Gesesa guarantees quality purification, but this must only be the starting point because our territory needs many other important new purification plants and large infrastructure investments in terms of providing an integrated water service. However, it is reassuring to know that in Benevento we possess high-quality expertise in managing them. We must never lower the level of attention regarding environmental protection, proceeding swiftly on the path of growth and renewal.”

The CEO of Gesesa, engineer Salvatore Rubbo, stated: “Having just been appointed CEO of Gesesa, I immediately paid particular attention to this key segment of the integrated water service, as well as sharing my existing knowledge. The work carried out with the Judicial Administrator and the Technical Committee has always been aimed, in respect of the mutual roles, at achieving this result and since October 2022, Gesesa has managed the plants independently, increasing their level of efficiency. Over the last three years, Gesesa has invested more than two and a half million euros in all the 30 treatment plants under its management. However, at this time of just satisfaction, I consider it appropriate to draw attention to the extreme delicacy of the management of these plants. This is a very broad topic, which necessarily also concerns the variability of the quality of influent sewage but, in summary, it is enough to know that managing many small-to-medium-sized plants, most of which are decades old and, although constantly maintained and efficient, with a purification capacity close to saturation, forces us to intervene daily, with continuous adjustments and interventions necessary to guarantee their hydraulic-purifying functionality. Thanks to the organisation of the work, continuous training and constant opportunities for discussion, it is possible to guarantee the supervision of the activities, but we must be aware that we are in the presence of a purification system that is very much outdated in terms of technology. In the purification sector, especially in a province composed of many small towns, the principle of aggregation ought to be applied. This involves using compressive plants that have greater purification potential as well as a higher level of technological innovation. By doing so, they would undoubtedly be more effective and cost-efficient in managing both the water and the sludge generated. It is also evident, given the orography of the province of Benevento, that considerable public investment is needed to build this type of plant and its collection networks. I conclude by thanking the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the daily availability and for the decisive collaboration, the Board of Directors for its solidity, especially in challenging times, I thank the trusted solicitors of the company and the two professors of the University of Sannio, who have offered significant scientific contributions, in addition to the chemical analysis laboratory of the University of Naples “Federico II” and the colleagues at Gesesa who, on a daily basis, demonstrate what it means to manage the purification plants.”