Ten defendants in the Moccia clan trial are requesting that the proceedings be transferred away from Naples. This very weighty request, filed yesterday in court, openly speaks of a "poisonous" climate at the Centro Direzionale, one that, according to the defense, jeopardizes the impartiality of the trial.
The 33-page motion for dismissal, signed by Antonio, Luigi, and Angelo Moccia, among others, states that in the Neapolitan court, "a Manichean split has developed between 'good,' represented by prosecutor Nicola Gratteri, and 'evil,' embodied by the defense lawyers who are seeking the statute of limitations."
A contrast that, according to the signatories, could "influence the judgment" to the point of compromising the serenity of the panel.
The spark that allegedly ignited the "media scandal" cited in the motion is said to have been the release of 15 of the 43 defendants due to expiration of their prison terms, which occurred in August. Since then, the defense lawyers claim, the case has been the subject of increasing pressure: articles and public interventions, from Roberto Saviano's signatures to MP Francesco Emilio Borrelli's social media comments, to the presence of prosecutor Gratteri in court at the October 7 hearing.
That day, the head of the Public Prosecutor's Office attended to express his support for prosecutors Ivana Fulco and Ida Teresi and to reiterate the need to finally bring the trial—one of the most complex on the alleged Camorra association of the Afragolesi—to a first-instance verdict.
But it is above all an internal measure within the courthouse that fuels the alleged "legitimate suspicion." This is the invitation by the President of the Court, Giampiero Scoppa, to the judges of the Seventh Criminal Section to "unavoidably" conclude the trial by September, to avoid yet another change of bench following the transfer of Judge Michele Ciambellini to the Attorney General's Office of the Supreme Court.
This is the fourteenth change of hearing since the trial began. To meet that deadline, the Court has implemented a very tight schedule: four hearings a week for two months. This decision, the defense calls "unsustainable" and "prejudicial."
The Court of Cassation will now decide on the request to transfer the case elsewhere. Until then, the ruling remains suspended.
Meanwhile, the trial continues. Yesterday, the Prosecutor's Office filed the statement of justice collaborator Salvatore Scafuto, requesting its examination in court. The prosecutors also intend to reinstate one of the key witnesses, Carabinieri officer Andrea Manti. Only after the Supreme Court resolves the issue of "legitimate suspicion" will the panel return to focusing on the verdict.
Verified Source
Choose the social channel you want to subscribe to