The Court of Appeal of Florence acquitted Tiziano Renzi and his wife Laura Bovoli, parents of former premier Matteo Renzi, current leader of Italia Viva, 'because the fact does not constitute a crime', in the trial for false invoices.
The Apulian entrepreneur Luigi Dagostino, 'the king of outlets', was sentenced, but with the sentence reduced to nine months.
The Attorney General had requested confirmation of the sentences imposed in the first instance in October 2019: 1 year and 9 months for the Renzi spouses and two years for Dagostino, also accused of aggravated fraud.
But the judges of the third section accepted the request of the defenders of the Renzi spouses.
At the center of the proceeding is a series of invoices paid by the Renzi companies in 2015: one for 20 thousand euros from the 'Party' and the other for 140,000 euros from 'Eventi6', both for consultancy to companies referable to Dagostino.
Consultancy regarding the feasibility study for a restaurant business and increasing customers in The Mall outlet in Valdarno.
The three defendants were not in court tonight when the president read the device after four hours in the council chamber.
Tiziano Renzi and Laura Bovoli made spontaneous statements in the morning during the hearing.
The father of the former prime minister defended himself: "Two years ago I was sentenced to 22 months in prison but I have never dealt with administration, only commercial".
And he attacked: "I never asked my son for positions and political appointments. I want to say instead that the husband of the prosecutor (the one who carried out the investigation, ed) had insistently asked my son Matteo and his collaborators for an appointment ".
The reference is to the ex-husband of the public prosecutor, from whom she has been divorced since 2011. Even the wife defends herself with a drawn sword: "The law is the same for everyone, even for someone called Renzi. I have never made false invoices in my life ".
And she takes sides with her husband: "
My husband Tiziano does not understand anything in administration.
I take full responsibility for the 20 thousand euro invoice from 'Party srl' for a very specific job that was supposed to develop, that is to attract customers to the little-frequented shops in The Mall outlet.
This project never went all the way because, thanks to the mud thrown by the press, I was forced to close the company.
My son, then at Palazzo Chigi, told me to close the company.
And so I did.
But after 30 years of work - he concluded - could I have ruined myself for 20 thousand euros? ".
This project never went all the way because, thanks to the mud thrown by the press, I was forced to close the company.
My son, then at Palazzo Chigi, told me to close the company.
And so I did.
But after 30 years of work - he concluded - could I have ruined myself for 20 thousand euros? ".
This project never went all the way because, thanks to the mud thrown by the press, I was forced to close the company.
My son, then at Palazzo Chigi, told me to close the company.
And so I did.
But after 30 years of work - he concluded - could I have ruined myself for 20 thousand euros? ".
"Laura Bovoli and Tiziano Renzi have always believed in justice, even in the most crucial moments. Today the sentence has arrived that drops the accusations: they perform a professional service, they did not commit a crime. But let's wait for the reasons" said one of the defenders the lawyer Lorenzo Pellegrini who together with Federico Bagattini defended the Renzi family.
"Dagostino also acquitted for fraudulent declarations", says the lawyer Gennai, "for the scam we will fight in the Supreme Court".
