Rome prosecutors investigate coordinated push to make Claudio Lotito sell Lazio

A new investigation by the Procura di Roma seeks to determine whether a single, organized network is behind a campaign aimed at forcing Claudio Lotito to relinquish ownership of the Lazio football club. The inquiry follows earlier complaints from Lotito about threatening phone calls and a fan protest that has left the Stadio Olimpico largely empty. Carabinieri from the Rome investigative unit, under the direction of deputy prosecutor Giuseppe Cascini and magistrates Lucia Lotti and Lorenzo Del Giudice, conducted searches of Banca del Fucino’s top executives, seizing phones, computers and email records from president Mauro Masi, CEO Francesco Maiolini, and journalist Luigi Bisignani, who has written a series of articles in Il Tempo about Lazio’s corporate situation.

Prosecutors believe the operation may have involved the dissemination of unverified news and a media push to depress the club’s listed share price, potentially constituting market manipulation. The investigation now focuses on uncovering any common orchestrator behind the financial and communication actors involved.