Italy's Ex-PM Renzi Faces Political Funding Trial

Former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi protested his innocence Thursday after prosecutors called for him to stand trial for alleged illegal political party funding

Rome, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 10th Feb, 2022 ) :Former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi protested his innocence Thursday after prosecutors called for him to stand trial for alleged illegal political party funding.

Renzi, a former mayor of Florence, accused three prosecutors in the Tuscan city of abusing their power during their probe, which has dragged on for years and which he said would "draw a blank".

"I am innocent and I hope the judges are too," the 47-year-old, who was premier from 2014 to 2016, told Radio Leopolda.

A pre-trial hearing has been set for April 4, and a judge will decide whether there is enough evidence to proceed to a full trial.

The probe, which began in 2019, followed allegations money from the Open foundation was illegally used by Renzi during his meteoric rise from mayor to head of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and prime minister.

Prosecutors argue Renzi was the de facto director of Open, which received 3.5 million Euros ($4 million) from wealthy backers -- money he and allies spent on political activities.

One such expense was the chartering by Renzi in 2018 of a jet for 135,000 euros -- paid for by Open -- to get him to a Robert Kennedy memorial service in the US, according to the Repubblica daily, which cited prosecution documents.

The probe also targets another 10 people, including two ex-ministers close to Renzi, plus four companies, one of which is British American Tobacco Italia.

Renzi stands accused of the crime of illegal financing of political parties, along with the former president of Open, Alberto Bianchi, two businessmen, and ex-ministers Maria Elena Boschi and Luca Lotti.

Lotti is also accused of two episodes of corruption, as well as allegedly hiding ill-gotten gains and influence peddling.

Renzi, now leader of the centrist Italia Viva party, accused the prosecutors of a "hate campaign" against him and his family.

"They've got the wrong man. I'm not afraid. I want truth and justice," he said.

Renzi rose to preeminence as a youthful reformer who, earning the nickname "Rottamatore" (the Wrecker), set out to shake up Italy's political establishment. He was elected leader of the PD in 2013.

At the age of 39, he became Italy's youngest-ever prime minister since Benito Mussolini. But his centrist policies and increasingly arrogant style antagonised trade unions as well as the broader public.

He led a referendum campaign for constitutional reforms in 2016, but it turned into a plebiscite against him and when he lost, he was forced to quit.

Renzi later broke with the PD and founded the small Italia Viva, which is part of Prime Minister Mario Draghi's national unity government.