Naples – The "Maleventum" trial, which arose from the DIGOS investigation into alleged wrongdoing in the management of several migrant centers in the Sannio area, concluded with a complex outcome.
The Benevento Court acquitted businessman Paolo Di Donato, 56, of Sant'Agata de' Goti, of seven charges, including criminal conspiracy, three counts of corruption, two counts of revealing official secrets, and fraud against the state.
Di Donato, defended by lawyers Vittorio Fucci and Pietro Farina, was arrested in June 2018 on charges of being the "hidden master" of the Maleventum Consortium, believed by investigators to be at the center of an illicit system linked to migrant reception services.
The judges, however, convicted him on two remaining charges, following a request from the Prosecutor for 5 years and 6 months of imprisonment.
Carabiniere Salvatore Ruta, 65, from Airola, a sergeant serving with the Montesarchio Carabinieri Company, was also acquitted on charges of corruption and poaching.
According to the prosecution, Ruta received undue benefits in exchange for revealing official secrets, a claim the court did not consider proven. The prosecutor had requested a four-year prison sentence for him.
The ruling also ordered the release of real estate and over €20 in cash. The case involved a total of 14 defendants (one of whom died during the trial), while the statute of limitations had expired for 22 others.
This conclusion significantly scales down the original prosecution case, bringing to a close one of the most complex investigations into the reception system in the Sannio area in recent years.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
The article is interesting but leaves me with many questions, especially about how the real problems related to migrants have been handled. The justice system sometimes seems to fail to function as it should, and citizens wonder whether there was really enough evidence.