Stopped by Russian police, accused of possession of a psychoactive substance with cocaine-like effects (mephedrone), arrested and then released on parole, he managed to escape Fly and achieve Abu Dhabi, secure. He did everything alone, disregarding Russian controls. And today he will return to Italy.
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Here it is, summed up, the ugly and unbelievable adventure we lived John DiMassa61 years old, originally from Sulmona, manager and engineer, extensive experience in the energy sector that has led him to travel around the world, Russia including (in his Facebook profile there are photos taken in Moscow, and also messages written in Cyrillic). However, the fact that he managed to reach Abu Dhabi, where he usually lives, because there is an office in Rome for the company ISS International, for which he works, is also confirmed by a call from the Qn.net journalist, who called Di Massa at his home Residence of Abu Dhabi. “I’m sorry, I’d rather not talk now,” he limited himself to an answer.
It happens in the night from Monday to Tuesday, in a Fly still shaken. On Saturday, the tank column of the mercenary company Wagner, which rebelled against Putin and had already occupied the city of Rostov, was on its way to the capital and stopped only two hundred kilometers away. Despite the agreement with Prigozhin, Moscow is still under siege, Red Square is closed, checkpoints around the city are frequent and thorough. An Italian manager’s car, a taxi, is stopped. The agents ask him to get out. They search him and he is arrested. When it comes to Russia, it’s always difficult to distinguish between truth and fiction. Local media reports: The Italian manager was in possession of mephedrone, a psychoactive substance with cocaine-like effects. It was a sachet that contained 1.15 grams of white powder, according to the version broadcaster Telegram Baza (which is close to Russian security forces). Real? INCORRECT? A trap? The truth is elusive in Moscow, and even more so these days. The Russian media speak of a “company car”, not a taxi. But from Rome, the President and CEO of ISS International, Giuseppe Bellantoni, explains: “Di Massa is one of our employees, but he was on vacation in Moscow, not for work.” He was enjoying the vacation time and was therefore out of professional but also personal reasons there. The company I represent firstly expresses its astonishment and disbelief at the news, considering that engineer Di Massa has always acted as a conscientious, attentive and hard worker.”
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The company is initially unable to contact Di Massa, who is released but is on probation. Despite all the difficulties of the historical period, the Farnesina departs from Rome and closely follows history in cooperation with the Consulate General in Moscow. The precedents are dramatic: Russian penalties against those accused of using drugs, especially Western ones, are severe, think of the precedent of American basketball player Brittney Griner, who was detained at Moscow airport for having cannabis oil. But Di Massa is not inexperienced, he obviously knows his way around the capital. And here’s the twist late afternoon yesterday. Iss International says: Di Massa managed to get to Abu Dhabi. Even the family members who live in Abruzzo are more relaxed, they know that today he will return to Italy.
How has he fared? It’s a mystery that needs to be solved. It may be that Di Massa managed to prove the allegations to be unfounded, perhaps he was able to evade checks by the local authorities, which apparently are not that effective. But who is Giovanni Di Massa? Originally from Sulmona, he graduated in Nuclear Engineering from La Sapienza University in Rome in 1987. He explains on Linkedin: “I have been Country Manager Middle East of ISS International since June 2022; From 2018 to 2020 I worked for Chinese energy infrastructure company CPECC in Amur region, Russia; From 2014 to 2018 I was project manager for Technip, a French company specialized in engineering for the oil industry»
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