Esselunga was deemed unrelated to the corruption investigation by the Genoa Public Prosecutor's Office, which also involved the former president of the Liguria Region, Giovanni Toti. The investigation ended without consequences for the company and its former board member Francesco Moncada, husband of Marina Caprotti.
Moncada chose to plea bargain, paying 200 thousand euros, to avoid a long trial and prolonged media exposure. The initial hypothesis was that he had financed the Bucci List through advertising in exchange for incentives for new supermarket openings in Genoa, Rapallo and Savona. According to the defense, the involvement was limited to a generic interest on the part of governor Toti and his cabinet chief Cozzani, who would have only been responsible for organizing a technical meeting between Esselunga and the regional offices.
The meeting revealed that the urban planning practices did not present any critical issues and that only documentation was missing from the Municipality to the Region. In the meantime, the green light has arrived for the opening of the new Esselunga store in Genoa Sestri Ponente, in an area previously occupied by an abandoned industrial building.
