Justice authorities in canton Ticino are expected to give more details on Friday of a corruption scandal, which led to the arrest a week ago of a leading judge.

The Ticino special prosecutor, Luciano Giudici, said on Thursday that the central figure in the scandal, an Italian businessman Gerardo Cuomo, had been interrogated for the entire day.

He said the two other detained suspects, the Ticino judge, Franco Verda, who is accused of colluding with Cuomo, and Verda's wife, had also been questioned at length.

Giudici refuted stories in the Italian media that other members of the Ticino judiciary were involved in the case. A statement by the Ticino public prosecutor's office is expected on Friday.

Verda was arrested last Friday for allegedly colluding with Cuomo, who is accused of cigarette smuggling and money laundering on behalf of an Italian Mafiosi.

The case is being followed closely in the Italian media, with many journalists converging on Ticino.

Officials disclosed on Thursday that former Swiss federal prosecutor, Carla Del Ponte, who is now chief prosecutor at United Nations war crimes tribunal in the Hague, has also been questioned as part of attempts to shed light on the affair.

swissinfo with agencies

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