Request for a sentence of one year and 10 months for Massimo Galli, estimated infectious disease specialist who hit the headlines during the Covid pandemic, for forgery and bid-rigging (secondarily abuse of office) in the trial in which he is accused of allegedly rigged competitionsUniversity of Milan.
Article Key Points
According to the Public Prosecutors Carlo Scalas and Eugenia Bianca Maria Baj Macario of the Public Prosecutor's Office Milan, Galli allegedly rigged a university competition in April 2020 to favor his "protégé" Agostino Riva, then resulted the winner. For Riva the Prosecutor's Office requested 1 year and 6 months in prison.
The prosecution claims that Galli has “tailor-made” the announcement of the competition to favor Riva, who obtained the chair of Associate Professor in Infectious Diseases with a score slightly higher than that of the head of the Niguarda hospital Massimo Puoti, the other candidate.
The words of the magistrates
“Galli was the director of a tender tailor-made for Riva”, stated in court the PM Scalas during his closing speech. A competition "born flawed", “calibrated on scientific publications” di Riva, who has worked with Galli since 1997. “It was a competition for Riva”, continued the PM. "Co-optation is legal in some countries, but not in Italy. In Italy, a real competition is needed, a selection that in this case did not take place."
According to the Prosecutor's Office, the competition won by Riva was “totally crooked”The evaluation criteria “they were tailored to the individual candidate's CV”, explained PM Scalas. "Puoti's profile is much more structured. He was a primary at the Niguarda hospital and had already been a second-level professor in Brescia for 5 years."
Despite the unfavorable outcome of the competition, Puoti did not challenge Galli. “Going against Galli means going against a media machine, it was like going against Maradona in Naples in the 80s”, the PM stressed.
Galli: “I will speak at the end of the trial”
The infectious disease specialist, who retired in September 2021, was present in the courtroom during the closing speech. “I will speak at the end of the trial,” he told reporters. “Comparing me to Maradona in the 1980s? It’s ridiculous.”
Galli's trial is ongoing and a ruling is expected in the coming weeks. The case has sparked a heated debate on ethics and transparency in university competitions in Italy.
Article published on May 16, 2024 - 16:49 pm
