Illy acquittal over barracks sale upheld (3)

(ANSA) - Rome, January 11 - The Audit Court on Thursday upheld the acquittal of former Friuli governor Riccardo Illy for defrauding the State in the sale of a former barracks of the Finance Guards tax police at Tarvisio near Usine. The court rejected an appeal from regional prosecutors. Prosecutors had claimed the sale damaged State coffers to the tune of 194,000 euros. The prosecutors argued that the sale price was excessively low, but the Friuli section of the Audit Court had acquitted the administrators. Illy, of the coffee-making dynasty, said "I don't comment on sentences but I'm happy".