Naples Mayor Luigi de
Magistris said Friday he won't invoke the statute of limitations
in an appeal against a September conviction for abuse of power
that led to his suspension as mayor on October 1.
De Magistris returned to his mayoral seat at city hall on
October 30 pending his appeal to Italy's top court after he was
found guilty of ordering unwarranted wiretaps in his previous
career as a public prosecutor.
"I was convicted for doing my duty and I'm certain I didn't
commit any crime. I'm confident there are judges willing to
review a resoundingly unjust verdict," De Magistris said.
De Magistris said the anti-corruption law that was applied
in his case, known as the Severino law, should be revised for
elected officials at the local level because the risk of
criminal prosecution interferes with their ability to do their
jobs.
"It goes against the public's wishes as expressed in the
elections," De Magistris said.
The Severino law was also used in 2013 to oust Silvio
Berlusconi from parliament after he received a suspended
four-year sentence for tax fraud.
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