Court rejects Raggi contract appeal (2)

(ANSA) - Rome, January 17 - A Rome court on Tuesday rejected an appeal against Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi's contract with her 5-Star Movement (M5S) setting a 150,000-euro penalty if she breached the movement's ethical code. The court rejected the appeal from a lawyer, Venerando Monello, both where he requested the annulment of the contract and where he requested the consequent ineligibility of Raggi, sources said. Raggi reacted by saying "much ado about nothing" and said the ruling centre-left Democratic Party (PD) had "suffered another defeat" after a recent loss by PD leader Matteo Renzi in a Constitutional referendum, which spurred his resignation as premier.