Kicked out of the Carabinieri because he tested positive for cocaine, despite having defended himself by claiming that the test result could be linked to antibiotic therapy to treat bronchitis. The disciplinary commission's decision was deemed legitimate by the judges of the TAR Sardinia who rejected the soldier's appeal.
The reasons for the dismissal were clear. At the time of the events, the carabiniere had been sent by the authorities to undergo a medical examination at the Military Hospital in Cagliari and had tested "positive for cocaine metabolites". "Such conduct", the Commission later clarified, dismissing him, "is to be considered reprehensible from a disciplinary point of view, as it is contrary to the principles of morality and rectitude that must characterize the actions of a soldier, to the duties pertaining to the oath taken and to those of correctness and exemplary nature inherent to the status of a soldier and of a member of the Carabinieri, an institution primarily engaged in the tasks of prevention and repression of criminal phenomena connected to drug-related crimes".
Also crucial was the fact that the carabiniere should have maintained psychophysical requirements related to the carrying and use of the gun. The soldier had appealed against his dismissal with the lawyers Riccardo Salmeri and Pietro Prciani, but the judges appealed it considering that it had been "established that he lacked the moral qualities necessary for belonging to the Armed Forces".
Francis Pinna