Emiliano appoints himself to the Petruzzelli board of directors: the ANAC opens an investigation
The National Anti-Corruption Authority (ANAC) has opened an investigation into the de facto appointment of Puglia Region President Michele Emiliano to the Board of Directors of the Petruzzelli Opera and Symphony Foundation and Bari Theatres. Emiliano has extensive governance and oversight powers over the institution, including the appointment and dismissal of senior management, approval of financial statements, and drafting and amending the bylaws and regulations.
The Statute establishes that "one member of the Council is appointed by the President of the Puglia Region." The appointment was formalized by Decree No. 365 of the President of the Regional Council of June 26, 2025.
The decision raises many questions. First of all, it takes into account Article 16, paragraph 2, of the Petruzzelli Foundation's Statute, a private foundation, which assigns the power to appoint not generically to the Puglia Region, which funds the Foundation's activities with a contribution of three million euros per year, but directly to the president . Thus, the president would simultaneously assume the dual role of both the person who decreed the appointment and the person appointed.
But doubts also concern the objective failure to comply with another statutory provision, according to which "the members of the Board of Directors exercise their functions completely independently and are accountable only to the Foundation for their performance; they do not represent the public or private entities that designated or appointed them, nor are they accountable to them."
What is happening at the Petruzzelli in Bari appears to be unprecedented among Italian opera foundations. Another point of interest is the signature of the appointment decree, which was made by the Vice President of the Region, Raffaele Piemontese , and not directly by President Emiliano, as required by the Statute. This aspect would suggest an attempt to overcome potential critical issues related to self-appointment , raising questions about the full validity of the act.
The National Anti-Corruption Authority (ANAC) has shed light on the matter, which it is examining with particular attention to the possible presence of incompatibility and/or ineligibility issues pursuant to the aforementioned Legislative Decree number 39/2013.
La Repubblica
