Deputy Economy Minister Massimo
Garavaglia, of the nationalist League party, was acquitted
Wednesday of bid rigging over services for transporting kidney
patients for dialysis when he was Lombardy economy councillor in
2014.
But fellow defendant Mario Mantovani, former Lombardy deputy
governor was sentenced to five and a half years for corruption,
embezzlement and bid rigging.
Former Lombardy deputy governor and ex-health councillor
Mantovani and another 14 people including then regional economy
councillor Garavaglia were indicted in 2016.
The charges were corruption, extortion, bid rigging and abuse
of office.
Former Senator Mantovani, also former mayor of Arconate
and regional coordinator for Silvio Berlusconi's now-defunct
People of Freedom party, was arrested with others including
close aide Giacomo di Capua in October 2015.
Garavaglia, a heavyweight in Interior Minister Matteo
Salvini's far right League, was arrested a few months later.
The League's government partner, the ant-establishment 5-Star
Movement (M5S), had been expected to demand Garavaglia's
resignation if he were convicted.
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