Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi on
Wednesday asked a Rome court for an immediate trial in an
appointments case saying she was sure she could prove her
innocence.
The immediate effect of the request was to push the possible
trial date back until after the March 4 general election,
judicial sources said.
"I asked the Rome court for an immediate trial (and) I want
to see the judicial truth emerge as soon as possible", she said.
Raggi, a member of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement
(M5S) said "I am certain of my innocence and I don't want to
dodge any trial.
"I have full confidence in the justice system and I firmly
believe that transparency is one of the most important values of
our administration.".
Raggi's lawyers said their client would not attend a January
9 preliminary hearing by a preliminary hearings judge.
This was because their request for an immediate trial meant
that the preliminary hearing was not needed, the first citizen's
lawyers said.
In September prosecutors requested that Raggi be indicted for
alleged falsehood in relation to an appointment, but they also
asked for a more serious abuse-of-office accusation to be
dropped.
Raggi said she was happy to have the backing of her party
but the opposition Democratic Party (PD) on the city council
said "there is a risk for the democratic stability of the city,
and Raggi will have to resign".
However, the PD's national leader, former premier Matteo
Renzi, said "I'm not asking Raggi to resign, but she should try
to carry out her job as mayor" amid a string of widely reported
woes.
The false-declaration charge relates to the appointment of
Renato Marra, the brother of former personnel chief Raffaele, as
head of the city tourism department.
The abuse-of-office accusation regarded the appointment of
Salvatore Romeo as her political secretary.
Raffaele Marra was arrested last year in a corruption case in
relation to Raggi's executive.
Raggi, who became Rome's first woman mayor in a landslide
last year, is a member of the M5S, which prides itself on not
being tainted by the graft scandals that have hit other parties.
Raggi expressed satisfaction at the prosecutors' request to
drop the abuse-of-office charge.
"I am satisfied to learn that, after months of media
mud-slinging at me and the 5-Star Movement, the Rome prosecutors
office has decided to drop the abuse-of-office accusation,"
Raggi said via Facebook.
M5S founder Beppe Grillo said he was also "very satisfied"
that the most serious charge had been dropped and that Raggi had
"proven her innocence".
The M5S's premier candidate and leader Luigi Di Maio stressed
that the Rome prosecutors had asked to shelve the abuse of
office charges, "over which the press slung mud at us for
months".
Di Maio, who was also Lower House Deputy Speaker, said "we
have the utmost confidence in the magistrature and the M5S is
continuing to work for Rome".
Instead of attacking Raggi, the PD should think about 16
former PD regional councillors indicted for "very serious
crimes" and about Milan Mayor Giuseppe Sala whose indictment has
been asked for falsehood, the M5S Rome caucus leader Paolo
Ferrara said.
As well as facing a slew of appointments headaches, Raggi has
also been widely criticised for allegedly failing to clear
rubbish, repair pot-holed streets and improve public transport.
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