Milan preliminary hearings judge
(GUP) Tiziana Gueli on Wednesday postponed to May 20 a
preliminary hearing of the case in which Tourism Minister
Daniela Santanchè faces aggravated fraud charges against INPS
social security and pensions agency over the lay-off fund during
the COVID period.
Gueli's decision came after Santanchè changed a member of her
defence team and the new attorney, Salvatore Pino, asked the
judge on Tuesday for the hearing to be postponed so he could
have more time to study the case.
The other defence attorney, Nicolò Pelanda, said he could not be
present in court as he was working on another trial.
Meanwhile Pino said on Wednesday that he "cannot rule out" the
possibility that Santanchè could testidy in the trial.
"We are evaluating" the possibility, he told reporters.
"I spoke with her yesterday, she is very calm", Pino also said.
The minister's new attorney announced that INPS "will withdraw"
as civil plaintiff in the case.
He explained that the social security and pensions agency is set
to withdraw "because it has been entirely compensated" by
Santanchè's former companies.
The preliminary hearings judge is set to decide whether
Santanchè will be indicted in the case.
The tourism minister has said she will step aside in the event
of an indictment.
At least two additional preliminary hearings are expected before
a decision on the indictment is made, according to court
sources.
Santanchè and two other people, including her life partner
Dimitri Kunz, and two companies are accused of aggravated fraud
against INPS for drawing on COVID redundancy funds for staff at
her Visibilia group while they were in fact allegedly working.
Meanwhile on Wednesday Milan State attorney Marina Gravina
opposed Pino's motion to adjourn the hearing as well as the
two-month-long postponement, telling the GUP that the case risks
being timed out by the statute of limitations.
Part of the actions challenged by prosecutors in the case date
back to 2020 and the statute of limitations for the charge is
seven and a half years.
Gueli rejected the objection and scheduled the hearing on the
first date available, which was May 20, according to judicial
sources.
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