Tax evasion, Briatore acquitted but no refund for the "Force Blue" yacht
The vessel, worth 19 million euros, had been sold by the judicial custodian for less than 7 million to Bernie Ecclestone
There will be no "refund" for Flavio Briatore 's yacht "Force Blue" , seized by the Genoa Public Prosecutor's Office as part of the very long judicial battle that ended in January 2022 with the acquittal of the entrepreneur, accused together with others of having escaped the taxman . The Court of Cassation decided it.
The luxurious boat - as reported by the local edition of Repubblica - had been sold by the judicial custodian appointed by the court for less than 7 million euros (to his friend Bernie Ecclestone, moreover) when still the accounts between first instance, appeal and Cassation they weren't closed. And Briatore was still a defendant awaiting a final sentence. But according to a technical consultancy, the "Force Blue" at the time of the seizure, dated 2010, was worth 19 million. Hence the request to the Court of Appeal of Genoa to obtain the difference between the amount collected and the estimated amount. The Ligurian judges had already said no. Now that of the Cassation, which after 13 years closes the last chapter of the criminal case. Even if in the sentence, beyond the more technical passages, it is "suggested" how the Briatore Autumn Sailing company "may consider the possibility of trying other remedies in the jurisdiction ... to make effective the constitutionally guaranteed right of the right to defense and protection of private property in the event of reparation for any judicial error".
The entrepreneur was on trial because he was accused of tax evasion of over 3 million on VAT and for the charter business . The maxi yacht was seized in 2010, off the coast of La Spezia, while the manager was on board with Elisabetta Gregoraci and his son.
After the acquittal Briatore had said: «The truth is that if a process of this kind lasts 12 years no investor will bring any money to Italy. There is no such thing as staying on the grill for so long, they ruin your business and your reputation. Go to Google and see what comes up, tax evader, scammer, et cetera. Do you think all this helps with the banks when it comes to making investments?'
(Unioneonline/vl)
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