Twelve of them end up on trial while another eighteen defendants decide to negotiate a sentence of between twelve and fifteen months in prison. This was ordered by the preliminary hearing judge of the Agrigento court, Giuseppe Miceli, on the sidelines of the preliminary hearing resulting from the investigation into the “Athena” private institute of Agrigento. Last October, the Agrigento prosecutor’s office requested the indictment of 30 people, including principals, teachers and students. The accusations, for various reasons, are material falsehood committed by a public official and false public document in competition.
The defendants who agreed to a prison sentence of one year and three months are: the school principal Angelo Sciandra, considered by the investigators to be the key figure in the entire investigation; Giovanna Sciandra, 43 years old, from Agrigento; Danila Di Carlo, 47 years old, from Petralia Sottana; Anna Costa, 45 years old, from Favara; Lucia La Piana, 32 years old, from Mussomeli.
These, however, are the defendants who agreed to a one-year prison sentence: Valeria Borsellino, 44 years old, from Ribera; Lucia Chiazzese, 48 years old, from Palermo; Roberta Librici, 34 years old, from Raffadali; Rosetta Albanese, 33 years old; Carmela Fragapane, 47 years old, from San Biagio Platani; Alessandro Puglia, 45 years old, from Santo Stefano Quisquina; Gerlando Cacciatore, 65 years old, from Joppolo Giancaxio; Dino Castronovo, 53 years old, from Agrigento; Erika Tortorici, 46 years old, from Agrigento; Martino Vincenzo Gozzi, 61 years old, from Agrigento; Marta Marotta, 28 years old, from Raffadali.
The preliminary hearing judge ordered the indictment of: Ugo Adamo, 56 years old, from Aragon; Giuseppe Burgio, 24 years old, from Raffadali; Samuele Castronovo, 47 years old, from Agrigento; Giovanni Civiltà, 48 years old, from Agrigento; Katja Costanza, 47 years old, from Casteltermini; Giada D’Angelo, 47 years old, from Agrigento; Giovanni Di Liberto, 54 years old, from Palma di Montechiaro; Giuseppe Gentile, 40 years old, from Raffadali; Giuseppe Greco, 35 years old, from Palma di Montechiaro; Rossana Taibi, 40 years old, from Racalmuto; Ignazio Valenti, 38 years old, from Agrigento; Salvatore Fragapane, 33 years old, from Raffadali.
At the center of the investigation is the Athena private institute of Agrigento led by principal Angelo Sciandra, considered the key figure. Six years of investigation by Digos characterized by telephone and environmental interceptions, shadowing and also video surveillance systems installed in the school. One of the disputes concerns the holding of the entrance exam to class V on 19 August 2017: according to the investigators, on that date not only would there never have been any test but the admitted students would not even have had the necessary requirements to participate. The Agrigento prosecutor’s office also disputes – between May and June 2017 – the falsification of class registers of accounting courses. According to the investigators, in particular, the presence of teachers and students in the classrooms for the entire duration of the courses was certified “in an irregular and untrue manner”.
In the defense team the lawyers: Antonino Gaziano, Francesco Iacono, Davide Casà, Silvana Calà, Angelo Farruggia, Daniela Posante, Gaetano Gucciardo, Francesco Carrubba, Arnaldo Faro, Giuseppina Castronovo, Roberto Sardella, Anna Salvago, Santo Lucia, Stefano Catuara, Grazia Marchese and Pietro Maragliano.
