Massimiliano Snidar must remain in prison for video lottery money laundering, court rules

Massimiliano Snidar, 55, a central figure in the "Mercato" investigation, must remain in prison after the Bari Review Court rejected his appeal against detention. He was arrested on July 13th along with his brother and son in a money laundering case involving video lottery halls. The court cited incriminating evidence, including a WhatsApp message to his son Donato stating "all the money has disappeared," which shows Snidar had full knowledge of the company accounts until the eve of his arrest. He was reportedly informed daily of the gaming halls' earnings, and deleted accounting files were recovered by a court-appointed computer expert. The investigation, led by the DDA and the Gico financial police unit, indicates Snidar was the effective manager of Target Work srl, which operated the VLT gaming halls. The court ruled that precautionary needs remain current, so he must stay in custody for now.