VERONA – At almost 67 years of age, twenty-seven years after being arrested in Florida and a quarter of a century later life sentenceTrentino Chico Fortifound guilty of homocide by a US jury, he can be released from prison. Not at liberty conditionalgiven that he has to return to the prison in Verona in the evening, he can instead leave the cell to dedicate himself to some work activities. For example, do thesurfing instructor on Lake Gardathe pizza chef or the English teacher.
Il Surveillance Court of Verona accepted the request to grant the prisoner i permits to work outside which was presented by the director of Montorio herself, Maria Grazia Bregoli. Four months ago the decision was unfavorable, based on some assessments relating to the failure repentance. “From reading the observation reports, no feelings of guilt or authenticity emerge sorry for the victim’s family members, nor for their own family members. – the reporting magistrate had written Maddalene Of Leo – The prisoner does not appear in any way sensitive with respect to the pain caused both to the victims’ family and to his own. On the basis of these elements – lack of moral concern towards the victims, failure to compensate for damageeven if only partial, lack of in-depth analysis of the facts of the crime – this Court believes that the correct, available and participatory conduct of Forti alone is not sufficient to establish the existence of a authentic understanding of disvalue of the conduct implemented, a convinced critical review of previous choices and, therefore, a certain repentance”.
Evidently the evaluation has changed and the conditions envisaged by article 21 of the penitentiary system have matured, which provides for prisoners to work outside, even if they are serving a life sentence, as long as they have served at least ten years of their sentence. Forti returned to Italy just over a year and a half ago on board a Falcon of the Italian Air Force. The Prime Minister was there to welcome him at Pratica di Mare airport Giorgia Meloniwho had her photo taken, smiling and satisfied. The treatment of a lifer who admitted his crime sparked controversy guilt (“To get extradition I had to do it” he said), after the acceptance of the conviction by the Court of Appeal of Trento.
A few months later an inmate in Verona reported having overheard a conversation with Forti asking another inmate to “shut up” Marco Travagliodirector of Daily Factin addition to the journalist Selvaggia Lucarelli e Aldo Di Giacomogeneral secretary of the prison police union. The preliminary investigation opened by the Verona Prosecutor’s Office, which had interviewed prisoners and prison staff, was then closed, as no elements emerged to contest a crime.
According to journalistic rumours, Forti could work as a pizza chef in Verona, be a surfing instructor on Lake Garda, dedicate himself to teaching English and volunteer with a group that helps disabled children in a Malcesine nautical club. His elderly mother still lives in Trento, whom Chico Forti has already been able to meet during the permits that were granted to him.
Forti, former champion of windsurfinghad gone to live in Miami, where he was a businessman and television producer. He was arrested in 1998 for the murder of Dale Pike, son of Anthony Pike, with whom he was negotiating the purchase of Pikes Hotel of Ibiza. Dale’s body was found completely naked on a Miami beach. The man had been killed with two gunshots to the head. The trial reconstructed a complicated business story that was the backdrop to the crime. Forti, however, has always declared himself innocent, considering himself the victim of a judicial error. The negotiations for his return to Italy were very long. In the end, the application of the Convention on the transfer of convicted persons to serve their sentences in Italy prevailed.
Confirmation of Forti’s new detention regime came from Don Carlo Vinco, guarantor of prisoners for the Municipality of Verona who declared to Gazzettino: “Chico is going out, he can go out. The long journey he has made has been recognised.”
