Thirty-five people, including the mayor of Venice, have been arrested as part of corruption probe into the construction of a five billion euro flood barrier in the city.<br /><br />Mayor Giorgio Orsoni is suspected of taking kick-backs in relation to the project. <br /><br />Meanwhile, a judge has also issued a warrant for Giancarlo Galan, twice a government minister for Silvio Berlusconi’s Forza Italia party and a former governor of the Veneto region. <br /><br />The alleged corruption relates to the Moses project, which aims to prevent Italy’s famous canal city from sinking into the lagoon it is built on. <br /><br />Initially conceived in 1966, the project has been beset with wranglings over its design and environmental impact.<br /><br />Italy ranks 69 out of 177 countries in Transparency International’s corruption index, below most European countries.
