Dolce, Gabbana cleared of tax dodge

(ANSA) - Rome, October 24 - Italian fashion icons Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana were cleared by Italy's top appeals court Friday of charges of tax evasion for which they had been sentenced to 18 months in jail. D&G's accountant was also cleared.
    In April Dolce and Gabbana were handed their suspended prison terms of 18 months by a Milan appeals court.
    The jail terms were reduced slightly from the 20 months the pair were given at the first-instance trial in June last year.
    The appeals court ignored a request from prosecutors for the conviction for evading taxes on almost one billion euros in income to be reversed.
    The creators of the world-famous Dolce & Gabbana brand were found guilty with other people of evading taxes for several years after setting up the front company Gado in Luxembourg.
    Milan prosecutors had told the court that the pair "paid their taxes" and that Gado was "a legal operation".
    Dolce and Gabbana filed an appeal to the supreme Court of Cassation and in the meantime did not go to jail.
    In Italy convictions for non-violent crimes do not usually take effect until the appeals process has been exhausted and people sentenced to such short terms do not usually have to serve time in jail.