League treasurer sentenced to eight months for illegal financing
40 thousand euros in the sights, Centemero defends himself: "Follow the rules"
The treasurer and deputy of the Lega Giulio Centemero was sentenced by the eleventh criminal in first instance to eight months with suspended sentence and no mention of the same in the criminal record for an alleged illegal financing of 40 thousand euros agreed, for the prosecution, with the patron of the supermarket chain Esselunga Bernardo Caprotti, who died in September 2016.
A payment to the “Più Voices” association, of which the Northern League exponent was the legal representative, and which would have been turned over to the Carroccio also to support Radio Padania.
THE INQUIRY - As reconstructed by the prosecutor Stefano Civardi, "on 13 June 2016 at the behest of Caprotti", "40 thousand euros were paid to the League, disguised as donations to 'Più Voices'" and "which were used to pay the debts of the open chasm of the League, which is Radio Padania ". With the "Genoa trial in progress", explained the prosecutor, and with the "problem of the confiscation of money", that is the famous 49 million euro disappeared, "the simplest way to finance the League was to pay the debts and pay the money. in the chasm ".
The legal system, said the prosecutor, "requires that when you finance a party you must say it, you must be transparent", while "it is a crime when you do it without admitting it", that is, passing through an association as in this case. According to the prosecution, "two things" were done with those 40 thousand euros: a payment of 10 thousand euros to Radio Padania and 30 thousand euros "endorsed to Mc" company "owned by the League", which with part of that money would have paid a " conference of 25 June 2016 in Parma, organized for the construction of the center-right site ".
THE DEFENSE - "We take note of the measure taken today and we will see shortly what the reasons will be", commented Centemero, explaining that "the 'Più Voices' association was administered in full compliance with the rules and we are sure that in the subsequent grades of judgment one can only acknowledge it ".
"We await the reasons, but we are absolutely sure of innocence and we trust in the next stages of trial", the words of the lawyer Roberto Zingari. With his colleague Giovanni Conti he had asked for acquittal "because the fact does not exist", speaking of "a loan" for "commercial reasons", given that the radio advertised supermarkets.
Meanwhile, the deputy is also on trial in Rome for another suspected illegal loan of 250 thousand euros to "Più Voices" from entrepreneur Luca Parnasi and for self-laundering for money transferred to Radio Padania.
(Unioneonline / D)
