Silent convictions and granted income: three acquitted in the trial in Termini Imerese
Three individuals, Gerlando Spinaccio, Angela D’Amato, and Francesca Di Salvo, who were accused of illegitimately receiving the income of citizenship benefits have been acquitted. However, they were convicted for mafia-related crimes. The case involved a total of ten individuals, including the three mentioned, who were investigated for receiving the income benefits in an inappropriate manner between March 2019 and November 2020. The investigation was carried out by the financial police. The prosecution’s accusation was based on a national regulation that prohibits individuals with final convictions for mafia crimes, both personally and in the case of direct family members, from accessing state economic benefits. The three individuals fell into this category, and as a result, the prosecution had suspended their income benefits and sequestered the funds they had received improperly. The judicial proceedings concluded on October 24th in Termini Imerese, where the three defendants, who had opted for an expedited trial, were acquitted on the grounds that the crime did not exist. Moreover, the sequestered funds were released. The request for conviction by the Termini Imerese prosecution was one year and six months each, already reduced due to the expedited trial. The individuals were found to be innocent and acted in good faith when seeking financial assistance from the state through the income benefits. The defense lawyers successfully demonstrated that at the time of the subsidy application, the decree law that excluded individuals with past mafia-related convictions from accessing the benefits had not yet been converted into law. Furthermore, for some of them, the conviction was not yet final. No false declaration was made by the three defendants, and therefore, they were acquitted of the wrongful accusation of receiving the income benefits as mafia members. “I am satisfied with the outcome of the trial in favor of my client,” stated lawyer Giovanni Mannino.
Condanne taciute e Reddito concesso: in tre assolti al processo a Termini Imerese
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