The dispute between Roman comedian Maurizio Battista and his now-former manager Fabio Censi has ended up in the Rome Prosecutor's Office. On one side, the artist accuses his former manager of fraud, having embezzled approximately €1.5 million from him; on the other, Censi accuses the comedian of aggravated defamation and stalking.

The matter could, therefore, soon have a legal outcome. A violent exchange of accusations began last January when Battista, via WhatsApp message, terminated the collaboration with his manager, which had been ongoing since 2018. Since that day, through a series of videos posted daily on his social media profiles, he has "attacked"—without ever naming—his former right-hand man.

He calls him a "jackal" and accuses him of essentially embezzling a significant portion of his earnings. The videos are followed by a complaint in which the artist outlines the charges leveled against Censi. Battista's claim is supported in an email sent to all the city councilors of Canterano, a town in the province of Rome, where the former manager is a councilor and deputy mayor. The former businessman also takes legal action, providing prosecutors with a ten-page document reconstructing the various stages of the affair.

"In his videos," Censi states, "Battista refers to a 'jackal being chased by a hunter with a loaded rifle,' using rather harsh and threatening terms and mannerisms, but without specifying who he was referring to, to the point of piquing the curiosity of thousands of people who follow him on social media." According to Censi's lawyer, Pietro Nicotera, the artist's behavior has caused his client "a persistent and serious state of anxiety and fear and generated a well-founded fear for his safety." In light of this, "in the complaint, we ask the Prosecutor's Office to apply a precautionary measure against Battista to prevent him from repeating the unlawful acts he has committed to date." For his part, the comedian's lawyer, Remo Pannain, dismisses the complaint filed by the former impresario as an "obvious defensive move." "This initiative does not frighten us," the criminal lawyer adds. Battista, if and when the prosecutor wants to hear him, is ready to clarify his position regarding the accusations brought against him."

(Unioneonline)

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