Mario Roggero's jewelry store reopens as the debate surrounding the Grinzane Cavour jeweler returns to the forefront following his final sentence of 14 years and 9 months for the murder of two robbers and the attempted murder of a third during the attack on his shop in April 2021. His wife, Mariangela Sandrone, and one of their four daughters will run the business while he remains in prison in Bollate.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, in an interview with Corriere della Sera, assures Italy that Italy is not approaching the American model of the ICE. "The US model is very different, both in terms of self-defense and in terms of the use of weapons by police. After 40 years of experience as a prosecutor, I know that our law enforcement agencies have always used weapons very cautiously," the Minister of Justice stated , also referring to the death of Abderrahim Fakir in Bologna, which occurred during a police intervention .
"The term 'criminal shield' suggests an immunity that doesn't exist," Nordio explains. "It avoids an automatic entry in the register of suspects, which has become a sort of early conviction. It is now up to the judiciary to assess whether or not there are justifiable grounds." Regarding the video showing Fakir's death, Nordio explains that "violent images are always a source of great distress. However, we must take into account the psychological conditions of those who find themselves having to operate in moments of extreme difficulty. In any case, we must await the results of the autopsy."
For the minister, the case of jeweler Mario Roggero was "just what the lower courts said, confirmed by the Supreme Court: voluntary homicide." In this regard, Nordio confirms that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni requested the opening of an investigation into the pardon: "On the merits, I immediately agreed, precisely because the punishment and compensation seemed excessive to us." With President Sergio Mattarella, Nordio emphasizes, "the dialogue was calm and purely technical. It is obvious that the prerogative to grant a pardon rests exclusively with him." The opening of the investigation was not a political gesture, but, the minister emphasizes, "a humanitarian gesture. We are in complete harmony with President Meloni, even on matters of justice."
Meanwhile, the Turin Prosecutor's Office has ordered the precautionary seizure of €50,000 from a foreign bank account held by Mario Roggero and his wife, Mariangela Sandrone. This measure, the judicial authorities explain, "is intended to cover legal costs." The order was made public to "clarify the issue referred to generically as 'damages'," after the conviction became final.
The Assize Court of Asti, with a ruling upheld on appeal, ordered Roggero Mario, as always happens in similar cases, to pay a provisional sum totaling €480,000 to 14 close relatives of the two robbers, victims of the murder, as well as to the third robber, victim of attempted murder. The final assessment of damages was left to a separate civil proceeding.
The precautionary seizure of 50,000 euros concerns the sum that had been transferred from the #iostoconmarioroggero committee account to a Tunisian account in the name of the jeweler and his wife Mariangela Sandrone before the appeal hearing.
At the Bollate prison, where Roggero turned himself in last Friday, Mariangela Sandrone showed up yesterday with her four daughters. The women left the facility after a meeting that lasted about four hours. "Mario is fine," his wife said. "I found him calm and made a good impression on me; he's comfortable, considering the environment." One of his daughters, however, asked the journalists outside the prison to show "a little respect," interrupting their questions with, "Enough, since you're twisting my words..."
(Unioneonline/D)