Convicted of forgery, the owner of the Pineta Grande clinic defends himself: "I'm devastated, but the truth will emerge."

Naples – "I am devastated and shocked by a sentence I don't think I deserve at all." This was Vincenzo Schiavone's immediate reaction after being sentenced to four years and six months in prison for forgery of a public document.

The healthcare manager, who heads the Pinetagrande Hospital in Castel Volturno, reiterates his innocence: "I will continue to believe that my complete innocence will be recognized sooner or later."

The court case

The conviction concerns the alleged alteration of medical records relating to a patient who later died at the Domitian facility. The woman had been transferred from a hospital in Giugliano in Campania after contracting a serious infection.
According to the prosecution, the medical document was altered; a theory Schiavone firmly rejects.

“No interest in falsifying”

In his speech, the president of Pinetagrande emphasized the lack of any economic benefit: "I am being convicted for a crime that not only did I not commit, but that I had no reason to commit."

Schiavone highlights how the facility incurs insurance costs exceeding one and a half million euros each year to cover any compensation related to its medical-healthcare activities.

“It is painful,” he added, “to be accused of having altered a document to avoid compensation that is part of the normal management provisions of a facility that saves lives every day.”

The defensive strategy

Defense lawyers Giuseppe Stellato and Claudio Sgambato have already announced they will appeal. At the heart of the defense's challenge is also a procedural choice: the single judge allegedly excluded testimony deemed "decisive," that of two State Police officers who have been providing the businessman's security detail since 2008.
“I will continue to work for the patients”

Despite the conviction, Schiavone claims to continue his activity:
“With a heavy heart, I will continue to assist the thousands of people who turn to our facility.”

The president also mentioned the hospital's development plans, which now host university courses in nursing and, more recently, a degree program in medicine and surgery in collaboration with the Luigi Vanvitelli University of Campania.

Waiting for the appeal

In closing, Schiavone entrusts the second-instance court with the hope of overturning the sentence: "I trust that the correctness and clarity of my actions will be recognized by a judge in Naples, without having to bother a judge in Berlin."