The sentence for the former regional councilor for the budget Franco Talarico accused of electoral corruption becomes definitive. The Cassation rejected the appeal of the General Prosecutor’s Office except for the party concerning the civil statutes and only for this has postponed the acts to the Court of Appeal of Catanzaro. THE’Low profile investigation It came to the third degree of judgment. The appeal process ended with 19 convictions and 3 acquittals. The Prosecutor General of Catanzaro had asked the Court of Cassation to review the positions of the politician FTalarico Rancescoby the Reggio entrepreneur Antonino Pirrelloof the accountant Giuseppe Bonofiglio, Eugenia Curcio, Giuseppe Truglia And Carmine Falcone. Talarico had been sentenced at first instance to five years of imprisonment for the accusation of vote of mafia political exchange in the 2018 political elections, when he had been a candidate in the uninominal college of Reggio Calabria. On appeal, the crime was redeveloped in simple electoral corruption and the sentence was reduced to one year and 4 months and suspended. According to the second instance judges, the politician had brought agreements but there would not have been “a precise reference to the methods of procurement of the vote”. For the General Prosecutor, on the other hand, analyzing the data that emerged during the investigative activity, an overall framework that would demonstrate the connections with Reggina crime environments. Finally, the Cassation confirmed the decision of the judges of the Court of Appeal. Identical decision for the entrepreneur Reggino Antonino Pirrello sentenced at first instance at 4 years and then reduced to one only in the appeal sentence with the redevelopment of the crime in simple electoral corruption.
There will be a new trial for Carmine Falcone (sentenced to 12 years after 14 years of age at first instance) limited to the association. The general prosecutor had challenged the decision of the Court of Appeal to consider it not an organizer of the criminal association but simply a participant. A bis trial also for the accountant Giuseppe Bonofiglio (sentenced in the second degree process to 3 years and 1 month) and for Eugenia Curcio who had been acquitted on appeal after a sentence of 3 years and 10 months at first instance. For Giuseppe Truglia, a public official responsible for the contracts of the Ionian Crotone reclamation consortium, sentenced to one year and 4 months, the Cassation canceled the sentence but limited to the non -mention of the sentence by recognizing the benefit to the accused.
Inadmissible appeals
The Supreme Court then declared the appeals of Luigi Alecce sentenced to 3 years and 6 months (3 years and 8 months, at first instance); Concetta di boredom at 5 years, 7 months and 23 days (9 years and 6 months, at first instance); Giuseppe Mangone at 2 years and 1 month (4 years and 6 months, at first instance); Tommaso Rosa at 8 years and 10 months and 10 days (11 years and 5 months, at first instance). With the appeal of the General Prosecutor’s Office, the acquittals of the Catanzaro notary had already become definitive Rocco Guglielmoof the police inspector Santo Mancuso and of Pierpaolo Caloiro. In the defensive college, the lawyers Francesco Gambardella, Raffaele Bruno, Piero Mancuso, Giuseppe Fonte, Vincenzo Ioppoli, Natale Polimeni, Giuseppe Carvelli, Salvatore Iannone appear.
The low profile blitz was triggered on January 21, 2021 by committing two hundred between women and men of the Dia and one hundred and seventy units between police, carabinieri and finance guard with the support of four dog units and a helicopter. 48 precautionary measures were carried out, seized companies, properties and current accounts; They were also found and seized cash for over one million euros. Among the charges are corruption by act against office duties, recycling, mafia -type criminal association, fraudulent transfer of values, revelation and use of the secret of office, abusive access to the IT system.
Another 40 defendants, who had chosen the ordinary rite, are still in front of the Court of Appeal of Catanzaro. The general prosecutor asked for the sentence for everyone after 35 convictions and 12 acquittals had been at first instance. Defensive roasts have already begun and the sentence also for this truncation of the investigation should arrive in the coming weeks.