Italian Police Investigate Private Intelligence Firm

MILAN (Reuters) – Italian police have placed four individuals under house arrest amid an investigation into unauthorized access to state databases by a private intelligence firm run by a former policeman.

According to a source familiar with the situation, Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio, the son of late billionaire Leonardo Del Vecchio, founder of Luxottica, is among those implicated in the probe.

Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio reportedly instructed the intelligence agency to gather information as his heirs dispute their inheritance following his father's death in 2022.

Milan prosecutors allege that the private intelligence agency accessed three critical databases:
– A database monitoring suspicious financial activities
– A database utilized by the national tax agency containing citizens' bank transactions, utility bills, and income statements
– A database linked to ongoing police investigations

Italy's national anti-mafia prosecutor, Giovanni Melillo, expressed concerns to reporters, stating that the investigation “rang alarm bells” as it highlights the expanding market for confidential information, which has adopted a business-like dimension, according to ANSA news agency.

This investigation follows another recent case involving a significant data breach at Italy's leading bank, Intesa Sanpaolo (OTC:ISNPY).