"We are accustomed to assessing matters without prejudice: the facts for which Minetti was convicted date back to when she was very young. She had no managerial or organizational roles; indeed, it's likely that she was influenced by others." This was stated by Milan's Attorney General, Francesca Nanni, in an interview with Corriere della Sera. Her deputy, Gaetano Brusa, signed the positive (non-binding) opinion for Nicole Minetti's pardon.

"The assessment is based on the fact that, following the crimes committed, a documented lifestyle was not only regular, but also included meritorious activities, including volunteer work in Italy and abroad," she adds. "No recidivism or illegal or criminal behavior." Of the controversy, the thing that most hurt the prosecutor's office was "the bad faith of those who truly believe a convicted felon should receive preferential treatment," she says. "In short: Minetti shouldn't have spent a day in prison like anyone else sentenced to less than four years." Nanni also makes it clear that "with the time and energy we spend on definitive sentences under four years," she would "support the decriminalization of certain crimes: criminal proceedings should be reserved for the most serious offenses." "Since this is not the case, our office must work without prejudice and evaluate, as a whole, a person's repentance and resocialization," she observes. "I would add that we should get rid of figures from the past, if they are no longer with us," referring to Silvio Berlusconi.

The pardon request for the former Colorado dancer, dental hygienist, and former Lombardy councilor for the People of Freedom (PDL), who picked up Karima El Mahroug, known as Ruby, at the Milan police station, was submitted early last year and subsequently approved by President Sergio Mattarella. Minetti will therefore not be sent to prison for the two sentences he received: one to two years and ten months in the Ruby Bis trial for aiding and abetting prostitution, and the other to one year and one month for embezzlement of reimbursements while he was at the Pirellone .

The pardon, Quirinale sources explained, is also based "on the serious health conditions of a close relative of Minetti, a minor, who requires special care and treatment at highly specialized hospitals." Her lawyers, Emanuele Fisicaro and Antonella Calcaterra, instead spoke of "extraordinary humanitarian concerns," requesting "maximum confidentiality, particularly regarding the minor's situation."

Originally from Rimini, Minetti had entered the Regional Council on a blocked ticket, thus ensuring her election, in 2010, amidst a long controversy. On May 27 of that year, she was asked to go to the police station and secure custody of Ruby, then seventeen, who had been stopped without documents and suspected of theft. This sparked the legal case, which was compounded by the one regarding undue reimbursements to the Pirellone, which affected not only her but also other councilors, including Bossi's son, Renzo.

(Unioneonline)

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