Supreme Court confirms Renzi's parents' acquittal

(ANSA) - ROME, JUL 8 - Italy's Supreme Court of Cassation has confirmed the acquittal of the parents of centrist Italia Viva (IV) leader and former centre-left Democratic Party (PD) leader and premier Matteo Renzi for alleged false invoicing.
    On Friday the judges rejected an appeal by the Florence Public Prosecutor's Office against an October 18, 2022 appeal court ruling clearing Laura Bovoli and Tiziano Renzi of the allegations relating to invoices issued by the Renzis' two events companies in 2015.
    On that occasion, the appeal court overturned an earlier conviction against the couple, ruling that "the action does not constitute a crime".
    Instead it upheld the conviction of Puglia-born 'outlet king' Luigi Dagostino but cut his prison term to nine months, a suspended sentence.
    In the first-instance trial in October 2019 the Renzis got a suspended sentence of one year and nine months in jail, while Dagostino got two years, since he was also found guilty of aggravated fraud.
    The Supreme Court has instead sent the case against Dagostini back to the Florence appeal court for a second appeal.
    The "decision by the Court of Cassation ends a trial, the one against my parents, that should never have been opened," said Renzi in a statement after the sentence.
    "Only the stubborn and ideological obstinacy of the public prosecutor's office in Florence forced the Italian State to spend hundreds of thousands of euro of taxpayers' money on a case that was legally non-existent.
    "There is no compensation for the suffering of the whole family over these years," added the IV leader..
    However, "the definitive acquittal demonstrates, once again, that fighting in court and affirming the truth is the most serious way to respect the institutions against those who use some prosecutors' offices as a political weapon against their adversaries," concluded Renzi. (ANSA).