“The trial should take place in Bari”

BRINDISI – The lawyer Carlino Carrieri, who defends the regional councilor Fabiano Amati, raised the exception of territorial jurisdiction during the pre-trial hearing and presented a defense brief. And the lawyer Antonio Sartorio, who assists the Andrano entrepreneur Luigi Botrugno, has filed the admission of civil action. The pre-trial hearing regarding a case of alleged defamation by the Fasano politician to the detriment of the Salento entrepreneur – creator of a treatment against Xylella desiccation – took place yesterday, Thursday 18 April 2024, in a courtroom. of Brindisi, before judge Valerio Fracassi.

The Action politician and president of the regional budget and planning commission had been sued by prosecutor Pierpaolo Montinaro (of the prosecutor’s office of the Adriatic capital), after the complaint presented by Botrugno himself. The same politician, having learned of the investigation against him, declared: “If there is a trial, I will call all the major national and international scientists to testify to the truth of what I said”. Amati is accused of having offended the entrepreneur’s reputation on several occasions. Botrugno has created a treatment, NuovOlivo, to revive dried olive trees. Returning to yesterday’s hearing, the “pre-trial” is a filter hearing – introduced by the Cartabia reform – which follows the direct summons from the prosecutor.

Amati’s defense claims that the competent court would be that of Bari, the place of residence of the accused. It was some of his statements that pushed Botrugno to file a lawsuit. In January 2022, for example, Amati made some statements to a local newspaper: “It was a scam to evoke a phantom cure for Xylella.” Not just printed paper: on another occasion, we read in the indictment, on his social network profile Amati had published a post in which he stated, without much ceremony, that “it was a scam”. In short, Amati’s judgment was clear. Too much, for Botrugno and for the Brindisi prosecutor’s office, given that he has to answer for defamation. The next hearing will be held on May 9th.