Italian police have placed four individuals under house arrest as part of an investigation into alleged unauthorized access to state databases by a private intelligence agency operated by a former police officer, a source familiar with the situation informed Reuters.
The source mentioned that Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio, the son of the late billionaire Leonardo Del Vecchio who established Luxottica, the company that owns Ray-Ban, is one of the individuals targeted in the investigation.
Leonardo Maria Del Vecchio, who could not be reached for comment by Reuters at the moment, supposedly instructed the intelligence agency to collect information as disagreements arise among Del Vecchio’s heirs regarding the inheritance following the tycoon’s passing in 2022.
According to the source, Milan prosecutors claim that the business intelligence agency accessed three crucial databases: one containing alerts on suspicious financial transactions, another used by the national tax agency for citizens’ banking activities, utility bills, and income statements, and the police investigations database.
Italy’s national anti-mafia prosecutor Giovanni Melillo stated to reporters on Saturday that the investigation has raised concerns as it has exposed the extensive market for confidential information, which has taken on a commercial aspect.
The investigation comes on the heels of another recent inquiry into a significant data breach at Italy’s leading bank, Intesa Sanpaolo.