Antonio Di Maria

Antonio Di Maria
President of the Province of Benevento
In office
1 November 2018 – 13 June 2022
Preceded byClaudio Ricci
Succeeded byNino Lombardi
Mayor of Santa Croce del Sannio
In office
28 May 2007 – 13 June 2022
Preceded byAntonio Di Maria
Succeeded byAntonio Zeoli
Personal details
Born (1972-03-02) 2 March 1972
Santa Croce del Sannio, Province of Benevento, Italy[1]
PartyUs of the Centre

Antonio Di Maria (born 2 March 1971) is an Italian politician who served as president of the Province of Benevento from 2018 to 2022 and as mayor of Santa Croce del Sannio from 2007 to 2022.

Early life and education

Antonio Di Maria was born 2 March 1971 in Santa Croce del Sannio.[2][3]

Di Maria holds a qualification of a high school diploma, his highest qualification.[2] He completed his secondary education with a specialisation in accounting and commerce.[4]

Political career

Di Maria was first elected to the municipal council of Santa Croce del Sannio in 1995, also serving as assessor.[1] Re-elected in 1999 and 2004, he became mayor in 2007 following the resignation of the previous mayor, also named Antonio Di Maria.[5][6] He served as mayor for three terms until 13 June 2022.[6]

In October 2009, Di Maria became president of the Comunità Montana Titerno–Alto Tammaro, an intermunicipal body focused on rural development, environmental management, and cooperation among mountain municipalities in the Benevento area.[7][8] He was unanimously elected thanks to an agreement between the People of Freedom (PDL) and the United Democrats (UDEUR). Di Maria replaced Innocenzo Pugliese as president.[7] He served until 23 January 2020,[9] being succeeded by Gianfranco Rinaldi (mayor of Pontelandolfo).[10]

On 31 October 2018, Di Maria was elected president of the Province of Benevento, taking office on 1 November 2018. Winning with 57% of the vote, Di Maria defeated the center-left candidate Franco Damiano, mayor of Montesarchio.[11][12] Di Maria won under the banner of the Us of the Centre party.[13] Commenting on the election, Clemente Mastella described Di Maria's victory as a "revitalization" of the centre-right, which had previously struggled to gain control in the region.[14]

Following a corruption scandal involving him, Di Maria temporarily stepped down from the presidency of the Province of Benevento on 24 November 2021, with vice president Nino Lombardi taking over his duties.[15] He formally ceased to hold office on 13 June 2022.[16]

In 2023, Di Maria became president of the Alto Tammaro Local Action Group, operating within the European Union's rural development framework.[17][18] On 22 November 2024, he was elected to the National Council of the National Association of Italian Municipalities (ANCI).[19][20] From 2024 to 2026, he was president of Sannio Smart Land, an association involved in implementing projects related to Italy's National Strategy for Inner Areas.[21][22]

In November 2021, Di Maria became involved in a public procurement investigation led by the Public Prosecutor's Office of Benevento concerning alleged irregularities in contracts involving the Province of Benevento, the Province of Caserta, and the municipality of Buonalbergo. The investigation originated from a complaint by a provincial engineer regarding an alleged attempted corruption act connected to a public tender procedure.[23][24][25] The inquiry was conducted by the Carabinieri under the coordination of the Benevento Prosecutor's Office and involved wiretaps, recordings and digital surveillance activities. Prosecutors alleged the existence of a system aimed at influencing public tenders through corruption, bid rigging and administrative manipulation involving 11 procurement procedures related mainly to road works, school projects and environmental safety.[26][27][28]

On 24 November 2021, Di Maria was placed under house arrest together with seven other individuals, while other suspects received temporary restrictions from contracting with the public administration.[29][30][31][32] The charges included alleged aggravated corruption, interference with public tenders, disclosure of official secrets, attempted undue inducement, attempted extortion and other administrative offences.[23][26][27]

According to prosecutors, Di Maria allegedly used political influence to favour predetermined companies and professionals in public tenders, while investigators claimed that some procedures had been manipulated through prior agreements.[26][13] Prosecutors also ordered the precautionary seizure of approximately €49,500 allegedly connected to corruption offences.[29][30][31][32][33]

In December 2021, the Tribunale del Riesame of Naples partially accepted Di Maria's appeal, replacing house arrest with a temporary suspension from public office.[34] Following the preliminary investigation, several defendants were ordered to stand trial, with proceedings scheduled to begin in September 2022.[35] Di Maria denied any wrongdoing.[36]

In June 2026, the Court of Benevento issued a first-instance verdict, sentencing Di Maria to three years and two months' imprisonment. The trial ended with 16 convictions and six acquittals among the 22 defendants involved in the proceedings. The verdict remains subject to appeal.[37][38]

References

  1. 1 2 "Di Maria Antonio". Anagrafe degli amministratori locali e regionali. Ministero dell'Interno. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  2. 1 2 "Comune di Santa Croce del Sannio: Sindaco e Amministrazione Comunale". www.comuni-italiani.it. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  3. ↑ "Amministratori del Comune di Santa Croce del Sannio". amministrazionicomunali.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  4. ↑ "Riflettori sulla Rocca dei Rettori- Tutti gli uomini del presidente e il caso Boccalone". altrabenevento (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  5. ↑ "Di Maria Antonio (1939)". Anagrafe degli amministratori locali e regionali. Ministero dell'Interno. Retrieved 27 July 2026.
  6. 1 2 "Storico Elezioni Comunali di Santa Croce del Sannio (BN)". Tuttitalia.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  7. 1 2 "Accordo tra PDL e Udeur: Di Maria guiderà la Comunità del Tammaro. PD assente". il Quaderno (in Italian). 2009-10-01. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  8. ↑ "Si è riunito il Consiglio generale della Comunità Montana Titerno Alto Tammaro". il Quaderno (in Italian). 2009-12-28. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  9. ↑ Quotidiano, Redazione Il Sannio (2020-01-24). "Comunità montana Tammaro-Titerno, Di Maria lascia - Il Sannio Quotidiano" (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  10. ↑ ildenaro.it (2020-02-03). "Gianfranco Rinaldi presidente della Comunità Montana Titerno Alto Tammaro". Ildenaro.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  11. ↑ "E' ANTONIO DI MARIA IL NUOVO PRESIDENTE DELLA PROVINCIA DI BENEVENTO | Provincia di Benevento". www.provincia.benevento.it. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  12. ↑ redazione (2018-11-01). "Antonio Di Maria è il nuovo presidente della Provincia di Benevento". NTR24.TV - News su cronaca, politica, economia, sport, cultura nel Sannio (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  13. 1 2 coronagabriele_d8g7h71p (2021-11-26). "Arresti alla Provincia, i colloqui tra il presidente e Renato Parente". Altra Benevento possibile (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-12-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  14. ↑ TG24, Sky (2018-11-01). "Elezioni provinciali 2018, Benevento e Avellino vanno al centrodestra". tg24.sky.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-12-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ↑ "Provincia, su Di Maria incombe la tagliola della Severino. Nino Lombardi fa le veci e prende il timone". Il Sannio Quotidiano. 25 November 2021.
  16. ↑ "'Il 13 giugno Antonio Di Maria decadrà da presidente della Provincia di Benevento'". NTR24.TV (in Italian). 2022-05-19. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  17. ↑ redazione (2023-07-04). "Antonio Di Maria eletto alla guida del Gal Tammaro". NTR24.TV (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  18. ↑ "Struttura Organizzativa e Societaria". Gal Alto Tammaro (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  19. ↑ Bn, Redazione (2024-11-22). "Anci, Antonio Di Maria entra nel Consiglio nazionale". Lab TV (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  20. ↑ "Consiglio Nazionale". www.anci.it (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2025-07-31. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  21. ↑ "Di Maria eletto a capo dell'associazione Sannio Smart Land | Tv7 Benevento" (in Italian). 2024-12-27. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  22. ↑ Fremondoweb (2024-12-27). "Antonio Di Maria eletto presidente dell'associazione Sannio Smart Land". Fremondoweb (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  23. 1 2 ""Questa è per il progetto", l'indagine per gli appalti truccati a Benevento dopo una mazzetta di mille euro". Napoli Fanpage (in Italian). Archived from the original on 2022-05-22. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  24. ↑ "Appalti truccati, arrestato il presidente della Provincia di Benevento Antonio Di Maria: 18 misure cautelari, nel mirino 11 assegnazioni". Il Fatto Quotidiano (in Italian). 2021-11-24. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  25. ↑ "Appalti truccati, 8 arresti tra cui il presidente della Provincia di Benevento". lastampa.it (in Italian). 2021-11-24. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  26. 1 2 3 "Mario Del Mese arrestato per corruzione: garantiva fondi e appalti a Benevento". www.ilmattino.it (in Italian). 2021-11-25. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  27. 1 2 "Arrestato il presidente della Provincia di Benevento: corruzione negli appalti". www.ilmattino.it (in Italian). 2021-11-24. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  28. ↑ CdG 1947, Redazione (2021-11-24). "BLITZ DEI CARABINIERI A BENEVENTO. ARRESTATO IL PRESIDENTE DELLA PROVINCIA ANTONIO DI MARIA". Il Corriere del Giorno (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-12-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  29. 1 2 "Appalti truccati a Benevento, arrestato il Presidente della Provincia". rainews (in Italian). 2021-11-24. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  30. 1 2 TG24, Sky (2021-11-24). "Benevento, 8 arresti per appalti truccati: anche presidente provincia". tg24.sky.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-12-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  31. 1 2 "Appalti truccati, il arrestato presidente Provincia Benevento Antonio Di Maria". www.iltempo.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  32. 1 2 "Appalti truccati, arrestato il presidente della Provincia di Benevento Antonio Di Maria". www.ilgazzettino.it (in Italian). 2021-11-24. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  33. ↑ Beneduce, Titti (2021-11-24). "Provincia di Benevento, presidente Antonio Di Maria arrestato per appalti truccati". Corriere del Mezzogiorno (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  34. ↑ "Appalti Provincia, indagato dinanzi al Pm per ore: interrogatorio secretato". Ottopagine.it (in Italian). 2021-12-14. Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  35. ↑ Marra, Nello (2022-05-20). "Inchiesta Provincia, tutti rinviati a giudizio: processo al via il 23 settembre". Anteprima24.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  36. ↑ redazione (2021-12-01). "Di Maria, ricorso al Riesame: i legali chiederanno l'annullamento dell'arresto". NTR24.TV (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-12-23.
  37. ↑ "Inchiesta appalti Provincia: 16 condanne e 6 assoluzioni. Tre anni all'ex presidente Di Maria". NTR24.TV (in Italian). 2026-06-22. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
  38. ↑ "Benevento, l'ex presidente della Provincia Di Maria: dimissioni dopo la condanna". Il Mattino (in Italian). Retrieved 2026-07-28.
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