Three requests for indictments, two of which are dismissed. These are the requests made today in Sassari court , during the preliminary hearing, by prosecutor Lara Senatore regarding a tender for the rental of biomedical equipment for the AOU Sassari Eye Clinic in 2020. Last year, the tender resulted in two orders, carried out by the Guardia di Finanza, of house arrest, two suspensions from medical practice, and a ban on engaging in public administration. The five defendants are accused of "impairing the contractor's freedom of choice," because , according to the prosecutor, they constructed a tender, with a starting bid for a five-year period of just under €2 million , tailored to the resources of AbMed, a company led by Cagliari entrepreneur Paolo Tronci, and Promedical, managed by Maria Emanuela Tronci, the sister of the former. The alleged fixing of the 21 lots, 18 of which were won by the two, allegedly arose, according to the prosecutor's office, from a secret agreement between the president of the judging panel and medical director Mario Sotgiu, now retired, and Paolo Tronci himself. Tronci allegedly also gave Sotgiu the answers to the competitors' technical questions in an envelope, prompting the complaint of a former collaborator and another competitor.
The prosecution alleges that Tronci suggested the technical requirements for the lots "in such a stringent manner as to leave no room for discretion on the part of the tender committee." The prosecutor has requested indictments for both Tronci and Sotgiu. The latter's lawyers, Letizia Doppiu-Anfossi and Gabriele Satta, oppose the reconstruction, arguing that Sotgiu was only involved in the committee in March 2021 and had no involvement in drafting the specifications, which were finalized a year earlier. Regarding the possibility of having received gifts from Tronci, they point out that, in the Arzachena office, where the Guardia di Finanza did not seize anything, the equipment was rented and paid for by the doctor, as has been proven.
The alleged operatives behind the alleged procurement fraud were Antonio Pinna, the clinic's director, and Antonio Lumbau, a clinical engineer, who were responsible for establishing the content of the technical performance specifications. The prosecutor requested a committal for the former, while the latter was acquitted. Regarding Pinna, lawyers Elias Vacca and Pierluigi Carta countered the allegations, arguing, among other things, that the doctor was involved in the tender at the last minute because the deadline was expiring and he had never participated in a similar tender before. Regarding the frequent contacts between Pinna and Tronci, they emphasized that these were normal discussions between a professional and a technician, and that Lumbau, for that matter, had more than double the number. The question then becomes: what benefit would Pinna have had? The lawyers' answer: none. Lawyers Francesco Porcu and Danilo Sedda, representing Lumbau, reported that he followed the instructions of his office managers, being accused, among other things, of being too "generic" in the draft specifications, and that, among other things, he argued that Tronci's offer was inadmissible due to the expiration of the deadline. Regarding the equipment already present at the clinic and rented, lawyers Carta and Vacca pointed out that it was entirely different equipment.
The magistrate also requested an acquittal for Maria Emanuela Tronci and a six-month summary trial for Roberto Orrù, represented by lawyers Alberto Ippolito and Andrea De Angelis of the Cagliari Bar Association. He is accused of aiding and abetting, having deleted from the company phone, according to the indictment, "the WhatsApp application and specifically the chat conducted by Paolo Tronci" with a former co-worker. Judge Paolo Bulla adjourned the case until February 13 for a ruling. Paolo Tronci is represented by lawyers Guido Manca-Bitti of the Cagliari Bar Association and Nicola Satta, while Maria Emanuela Tronci is represented by lawyers Guido Manca-Bitti and Massimo Macciotta of the Cagliari Bar Association.
