Rome – In the investigation into the Ranucci assassination, investigators are examining new business and financial records linked to Valter Lavitola. Natalia Potenza, the former partner of the businessman and former publisher, was questioned as a witness for nearly ten hours on Saturday in Rome. She denied having any knowledge of the bombing of journalist Sigfrido Ranucci.
Potenza had requested to be questioned herself. She appeared at the public prosecutor’s office on Piazzale Clodio in the morning and left the courthouse complex in the evening without making a public statement. She provided investigators with a detailed written account, as well as business records and tax documents. As things stand, she is not suspected of any crime; she was questioned as a person with potential knowledge of the events.
What financial transactions are the focus of the investigation into the Ranucci assassination?
The public prosecutor’s office intends to use the documents to trace Lavitola’s business activities and financial transactions over the past few years. These include projects related to emissions credits in Africa as well as other ventures in South America. Investigators are also examining the sources of individual funding and where the funds were transferred. It remains unclear whether this will reveal a connection to the attack. The questioning may therefore provide new leads for the investigation, but does not in itself prove any involvement.
The attack took place on October 16, 2025, outside Ranucci’s home in Pomezia, south of Rome. An explosive device damaged his car and his daughter’s vehicle; no one was injured. Ranucci is the host of the investigative Rai program *Report*. Lavitola is accused of ordering the attack; the businessman denies the allegations. Since then, investigators have been examining several possible motives and connections. The documents now being analyzed are intended primarily to clarify whether financial transactions related to Lavitola’s international business dealings are relevant to the ongoing proceedings.
