POZZUOLI – All acquitted: this concludes the first instance trial born from an investigation that had revealed false signatures in support of parties and civic bodies in the 2017 municipal elections in Pozzuoli. In the dock Roberto Gerundo, former councilor for urban planning of the municipality of Pozzuoli (assisted by the lawyer Luigi De Vita); Lydia De Simone (defended by the lawyer Amerigo Russo); Sandro Cossiga (assisted by lawyer Fabio Grieco); Antonio Di Bonito (defended by the lawyer Santoianni); Guido Iasiello (assisted by the lawyer Mattia Floccher); Michelangelo Luongo (assisted by the lawyer Luigi De Vita); Enrico Russo, former president of the city council (assisted by the lawyer Antonio Tufano). No action was taken against former city councilor Tito Fenocchio, who died last year. The public prosecutor, during the indictment, had asked for the conviction of all the defendants, accused of complicity in ideological and material forgery, a crime committed by a public official in a public act. Judge Paolelli of the sixth criminal section of the Court of Naples instead accepted the defense thesis presented by the lawyers, who dismantled the graphological technical consultancy on the disputed signatures ordered by the public prosecutor, demonstrating its lack of exhaustiveness, and fully acquitted all the accused .
THE INVESTIGATION- The investigators targeted 11 lists, 42 signatures and 35 signatories. In particular, Cossiga was challenged for 18 signatures placed on 4 street addresses in support of his candidacy; De Simone received 4 signatures for the Greens (centre-left); Di Bonito responded for a signature on the 5 Star Movement list; Fenocchio for 8 signatures, of which 3 authenticated for Campania Libera (centre-left) and 5 for Protagonismo Sociale, the latter in support of the mayoral candidate Maurizio Orsi; councilor Gerundo for 2 signatures that he would have validated on behalf of the Democratic Center (centre-left); Iasiello for 4 validated signatures on behalf of Forza Italia which was nominating Pasquale Giacobbe for mayor; Luongo for 3 authenticated signatures on behalf of Idea Pozzuoli (centre-left); Russo for 2 signatures collected for Campania Libera. Furthermore, 7 signatures appeared at the bottom of two different lists (when the law allows only one to be affixed): 4 were found to be attributable to Cossiga, 3 to Fenocchio, 1 to the other defendants, except De Simone.
