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 and former premier Matteo Renzi said that members
of the anti-establishment 5-Star Movement who "insulted" Soru
should "apologise or give up their parliamentary immunity".
"Renato Soru invented Tiscali and created thousands of jobs.
If he made mistakes, like everyone, he paid for his choices
personally. But today when he has been acquitted it would be
nice for those who accused him in a squalid manner over the
years to find time to publicly apologise to him," Renzi said on
Facebook.
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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