The former mayor of Riace, Domenico "Mimmo" Lucano, was sentenced to 13 years and two months of imprisonment in the "Xenia" trial, held in Locri, in the Court, on alleged offenses in the management of migrants.
The sentence condemns Lucano to almost double the years of imprisonment that had been requested by the public prosecutor (7 years and 11 months).
The former mayor was accused of being the promoter of a criminal association that had the purpose of committing "an indefinite number of crimes (against the public administration, public faith and property), thus orienting the exercise of the public function of the Ministry of the Interior and the prefecture of Reggio Calabria, responsible for managing the reception of refugees within the Sprar, Cas and Msna projects and for the assignment of services to be carried out within the Municipality of Riace ”.
Lucano was also accused of abuse of office, fraud, extortion, embezzlement, auction disruption, ideological falsehood and aiding and abetting illegal immigration, and will also have to return 500 thousand euros for the funding received from the European Union and the Government.
For the magistrates, the "Riace model" was nothing more than a sort of facade reception, but which then allowed them to profit from migrants rather than help them.
In asking for the sentence, the prosecution had specified: “Lucano was in charge of Riace. He was the absolute dominus, the real purpose of the hospitality projects in Riace was to create certain clientelist systems. Lucano did all this for a political-electoral advantage and it can be seen from several interceptions. It counted votes and people. And those who did not guarantee support were turned away ”.
"This is an unprecedented story. I will be stained forever for sins that I have not committed. I was expecting an acquittal", the first words of comment by Mimmo Lucano.
"Thanks, however, the same - added Lucano - to my lawyers for the work they have done. I, among other things, would not have had the opportunity to pay other lawyers, not having financial resources".
"EXORBITANT CONDEMNATION" - "A lunar sentence and an exorbitant sentence that totally contrast with the trial evidence": is the comment of the lawyers Giuliano Pisapia and Andrea Dacqua, Mimmo Lucano's defenders, who have already announced the appeal after the reading of the reasons.
"Over thirteen years in prison - add the lawyers - for a man like Mimmo Lucano who lives in poverty and who has had no patrimonial and non-patrimonial advantage from his action as mayor of Riace and, as it emerged during the trial, always committed to his community and to welcoming and integrating children, women and men who have arrived in our country to escape from war, torture and hunger ".
(Unioneonline / vl)