Casavatore – A crushing ruling from the Administrative Court of Naples on the appeal filed by brothers Angelo and Vito Marino following the May 25-26, 2025, elections that decreed the victory of lawyer Celaj.
The Regional Administrative Court, in its arguments supporting the ruling, noted that the verification process revealed that, in the constituencies where the recount was conducted, the election results remained otherwise unchanged, with the current mayor exceeding the quorum required to win in the first round. For this reason, the Regional Administrative Court wrote, the first ground of appeal "must be deemed inadmissible due to lack of interest, as the resistance test was not met."
Although the erroneous attribution of certain votes was found, they are not capable of influencing the overall outcome of the election." The judges emphasize that the additional criticisms contained in the second ground of appeal are, in the absence of a specific complaint of forgery, unfounded.
The statements made in subsequent briefs in which the appellant highlights the tampering with the packages were also rejected, for which – according to the ermines – there are no material signs and, in the absence of disputes in the reports, it does not constitute sufficiently serious and precise evidence of tampering with the packages themselves.
Therefore, – the TAR further highlights – "the omissions referred to must be considered merely formal irregularities insufficient to demonstrate the actual violation of the authenticity, genuineness and correctness of the operations, as well as of their result". Finally, the court declared the introductory appeal and the subsequent appeal for reasons unfounded.
The additional claims are unfounded, declaring the cross-appeal inadmissible due to lack of interest. Declaring the Central Electoral Office lacking passive legitimacy, as no documents relating to it have been contested, the Court instead orders the appellant to pay the legal costs, which it awards as €1.500 to Mayor Fabrizio Celaj and €1.500 to the Municipality of Casavatore, ordering that the ruling be subsequently enforced by the administrative authority.
Source EDITORIAL TEAM
Comments (1)
I read the article; the ruling seems harsh, but not everything is clear to me. The judges say the irregularities are merely formal, but some things seem unverified: packages, reports, and accounts appear confusing. I'm not accusing anyone, I'm just saying that further verification is needed, because the public is left with many doubts and few clear answers.