"Acquitted because the fact is not proven." The trial, stemming from the prosecutor's investigation into alleged bribes paid to businessman Mauro Cucca and Giovanni Barracciu, head of the technical office of the Municipality of Villasimius , to secure approval for a project—already authorized—that included a beachfront promenade for a hotel, concluded with the full acquittal of all defendants. Eight years ago, the investigation erupted with the precautionary house arrest of Cucca, accused of asking the manager of the Capo Boi Hotel for money to expedite a pending case at the Municipality.
On Tuesday morning, the verdict was read by the panel of the Second Criminal Section of the Court, presided over by Judge Giorgio Cannas. The decision was that neither Cucca nor Barracciu were charged with a crime. Municipal employee Valentina Escana and Pierluigi Casu, the local police commander accused of finding a bug in 2016 and subsequently attempting to determine who planted it, were also acquitted with the broadest terms.
At the center of the investigation was Mauro Cucca, a nautical entrepreneur and manager of Servizi Nautici srl, accused of demanding a bribe from the management of the Capo Boi Hotel to expedite the process for a sea access lane. According to investigations conducted by the Forestry Department's Investigative Unit, the bribe was allegedly refused by Antonio Delpin, general manager of the Falkensteiner Capo Boi company, which managed the hotel, which was then owned by Alisa and Giorgio Mazzella (not involved in the incident), who had applied for and received the sea access concession in May 2016. Despite this, the construction of the lane encountered several obstacles.
At the conclusion of the trial, prosecutor Andrea Vacca, in charge of the case, requested four and a half years of prison for Cucca and Barracciu, deeming it proven that both had committed attempted extortion. The prosecutor also maintained that the other alleged crimes—forgery, aiding and abetting, and disclosure of official secrets—against the employee Escana and the local police commander, Casu, had expired.
Satisfaction was expressed by defense attorneys Benedetto Ballero, Maurizio Scarparo, Antonio Incerpi, Maurizio Piras, Stefano Porcu, and Aldo Luchi. "The lengthy preliminary investigation," they stated in a joint statement, "has allowed us to ascertain the full propriety of the actions of all the defendants. During the trial, any favoritism or undue advantage was ruled out , as was any violation of the principles of impartiality and transparency in public action. Likewise, any conduct detrimental to the applicants for the permits was ruled out, as was the existence of any damages to them. The Court's decision therefore confirms the non-existence of the alleged crimes, which were definitively excluded at the conclusion of the trial, restoring serenity and dignity to all those involved."
