Paolo Tronci and Mario Sotgiu were indicted today in Sassari on charges of interfering with the contractor's freedom of choice.
The case concerns a 2020 tender for a rental equipment contract worth just under €2 million at the AOU Sassari Eye Clinic. According to the accusations, there was an agreement between Cagliari-based entrepreneur Paolo Tronci, director of AbMed, and the committee's president and medical director, Mario Sotgiu. Tronci allegedly, among other things, provided the doctor with the answers to the competitors' technical questions in an envelope, leading to the filing of a complaint by a former employee and another competitor.
Prosecutor Senatore had requested a trial for the two, as well as for Antonio Pinna, director of the ophthalmology clinic and drafter of the Technical Performance Specifications. Judge Paolo Bulla, however, dismissed Pinna's case, deeming him unrelated to the case.
"The acquittal," declared Pinna's lawyer, Elias Vacca, co-counsel with Pierluigi Carta, "restores peace of mind to our client and to all patients who have the opportunity to seek excellence in ophthalmology."
Antonio Lumbau, a clinical engineer, and Maria Emanuela Tronci, Paolo's sister and director of Promedical, who, with the other company, had won 18 of the 21 lots, were dismissed. Finally, a 26-day summary trial was handed down to Roberto Orrù, accused of aiding and abetting for allegedly deleting chats between Tronci and a former colleague.
Defending the Troncis are lawyers Guido Manca-Bitti, Massimo Macciotta, and Nicola Satta, Letizia Doppiu-Anfossi and Gabriele Satta for Sotgiu, Elias Vacca and Pierluigi Carta for Pinna, Francesco Porcu and Danilo Sedda for Lumbau, and Alberto Ippolito and Andrea De Angelis for Orrù.
