The second section of the
Caltanissetta appeals court on Thursday rejected a request for a
review of the sentence handed down to Marcello Dell'Utri, a
former aide of ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi serving seven years
in jail for mafia links.
The petition for a review of the sentence handed down to the
former Forza Italia (FI) senator was based on a sentence by the
European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), which three years ago
found fault with Italy for having unfairly tried the former
second-in-command of the former Italian domestic intelligence
agency SISDE, Bruno Contrada, who was also sentenced for mafia
links.
Both Contrada and Dell'Utri were sentenced for acts committed
prior to 1992.
The ECHR's decision, following a lengthy legal battle, led to
the Italian Court of Cassation revoking Contrada's sentence.
Dell'Utri's lawyers see the two cases as strikingly similar
and sent a petition to ECHR, which has not yet responded, as
well as to the court of appeals in Palermo, which rejected the
appeal.
The lawyers took the case to the Supreme Court, which ruled
that a review would be the only possibility and the case was
assigned to the Caltanisseta court of appeals in September.
Dell'Utri will have to spend another year and a half in jail
but is currently in hospital detention for ill health.
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