The finance police observed him checking his watch, walking without a cane or his guide dog, greeting and acknowledging people. They recorded him fumbling with a sign he apparently was reading, or with the lock, inserting the key without difficulty.
Normal for most people, abnormal if you're 100% blind. Furthermore, the 70-year-old from Sassari at the center of the case had even applied to renew his driver's license despite a medical board ruling he suffered from incurable optic nerve atrophy.
These were sufficient reasons to trigger an investigation conducted by the Guardia di Finanza (Fiamme Gialle), which, after gathering evidence, led to a trial in which the man was charged with aggravated fraud for the misappropriation of public funds. Charges had been pending from 2007 until recently, but the condition had been detected much earlier, around 1995, leading to the awarding of a disability pension by the National Institute of Social Security (INPS). "And during all this time, he received €200,000," prosecutor Alessia Sanna said today in court in Sassari during the hearing. The magistrate maintains that the deception was true, even though the vision problem is undeniable. However, it remains to be seen how extensive it actually is. Certainly, the man's casual manner, for example, in taking out a cigarette and lighting it, giving the impression that he could see, was suspicious. At the end of her closing statement, Sanna requested a sentence of one year and four months. "We believe he instead adapted by developing motor memory," says defense attorney Dario Masala, recalling that his client wasn't born blind but became blind over the years, and in this way he was able to "adjust" his relationship with space and objects.
According to the lawyer, the officers' comments are therefore evaluative and do not necessarily reflect the actual circumstances. Furthermore, the defense attorney noted that the 70-year-old's disability benefits were renewed in 2022 by the medical commission, which was aware of the ongoing trial and therefore carefully assessed the man's condition. At the end of the deliberation, the verdict was delivered: Judge Stefania Mosca-Angelucci ordered an acquittal because the charges were not proven.