Renato Soru, the founder of
Italian telecommunications group Tiscali, was cleared on appeal
of tax evasion by a Cagliari court on Monday.
The ruling overturns a three-year sentence handed down at the
first-instance trial to the MEP, a member of Premier Paolo
Gentiloni's Democratic Party (PD) and Sardinia governor from
2004 and 2008.
The court upheld a request from prosecutors for Soru to be
acquitted of three charges - on one count because the deed did
not amount to a crime and because the deed did not occur in two
others.
The case regarded a multi-million loan by Soru's Andalas Ldt
to Tiscali.
PD leader Matteo Renzi said that members of the
anti-establishment 5-Star Movement who "insulted" Soru should
"apologise or give up their parliamentary immunity".
PD MPs demanded an apology from the M5S for "unjustly"
calling for Soru's resignation as an MEP.
Soru could barely contain his delight at the verdict,
embracing his daughters for a long time.
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