Controversial Democratic Party (PD) candidate for Campania governor, Vincenzo De Luca, said Wednesday he is confident the possible repercussions of his abuse of office conviction after a recent Cassation Court ruling won't affect him if elected.
De Luca was convicted in January this year of abuse of office in connection with an incinerator project while he was mayor of the city of Salerno, and handed a suspended sentence of a year in prison and a one-year ban from holding public office. As a result of the conviction he was suspended for 18 months under an anti-corruption law passed under the previous Mario Monti administration - the so-called Severino law - but the Campania Regional Administrative Tribunal (TAR) reinstated him three days later.
Italy's Court of Cassation ruled however that such cases will go to ordinary courts from now on, which means elected officials who get tripped up by the Severino law will have to wait years for a ruling.
"If the Cassation (Court) says ordinary not administrative courts have jurisdiction on this matter, this changes absolutely nothing for us," said the convicted ex-mayor.
"(Renzi) said the Severino law is a surmountable problem," he added. "Let's focus on citizens' problems. Let's prepare for a renaissance in the region of paralysis and of 400 useless consultants". But anti-establishment 5-Star Movement MP and Deputy House Speaker Luigi Di Maio was having none of it. "The Cassation Court ruling makes it game over for De Luca," Di Maio said.
"We urge Campania citizens not to give him their vote, because if he wins he will be forced to resign immediately and Campania will have to call new elections at taxpayers' expense".
"He is not presentable," Di Maio concluded.
PD Deputy Secretary Lorenzo Guerini begged to differ.
"De Luca is not standing against the (Severino) law, otherwise he would have been considered unfit to run," Guerini said.
"We thought about (his candidacy), and the primaries gave a pretty clear result," he added.
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