"Dolce Vita" trial of former Avellino mayor Gianluca Festa postponed: new hearing scheduled for November 17th

The "Dolce Vita" trial, which includes former Avellino mayor Gianluca Festa among the defendants, has been adjourned, along with 26 other individuals indicted on various charges. The first hearing has been adjourned to November 17th due to organizational issues related to the volume of documentation in the case. The next hearing has been scheduled for December 15th.

The judging panel, presided over by Gian Piero Scarlato and composed of associate judges Pier Paolo Calabrese and Lorenzo Corona, will have to address a series of preliminary issues raised by the defense before examining the merits of the proceedings.

The Avellino Prosecutor's Office's investigation erupted on April 18, 2024, with the arrest of Festa, who had since resigned as mayor. The former mayor spent 154 days under house arrest and was unable to run for re-election in the subsequent local elections in the Irpinia capital.

In the following months, the Court of Cassation overturned the precautionary measure on grounds of legitimacy, without examining the merits of the charges. According to the Supreme Court, the mayor's resignation had eliminated the precautionary requirements underlying the measure.

At the heart of the trial are the alleged crimes advanced by the Prosecutor's Office against Festa: corruption, disclosure of official secrets, misdirection, forgery, and embezzlement. The prosecution alleges that the former mayor headed a criminal organization that managed the Municipality of Avellino according to private law. The investigation is largely based on wiretaps and wiretaps.

In the first hearings, the judges will rule on the objections raised by the defendants' lawyers, including those relating to the Municipality of Avellino's civil action, contested by the defense due to alleged delay, and the admissibility of wiretaps. They will also consider the request to only allow the trial to include documents deemed unrepeatable.

Once the preliminary issues have been resolved, the proceedings will enter the witness examination phase. The prosecution has named 18 witnesses, while the defense has named 24. The hearing schedule will be determined during the trial.

The charges brought against the defendants must be ascertained in court: all are presumed innocent until a final conviction is reached.