MILAN, Sept 13 (Askume) – Giovanni Toti, the former right-wing governor of Italy’s northern Liguria region, has agreed a deal with prosecutors to drop a corruption case against him, his lawyer said on Friday.
Prosecutors are seeking more than two years in prison for Toti, an ally of Prime Minister Giorgio Meloni. Under the deal, he must perform 1,500 hours of community service and pay 84,000 euros ($93,164) in compensation.
Totti was arrested in May and accused of receiving more than €70,000 from a businessman in an investigation into port terminal contracts, building permits and beach concessions. He has denied all charges.
He resigned in July after nine years in power in Liguria, on Italy’s northwest coast, and is due to go on trial in November.
Totti said he felt both bittersweet and relieved after agreeing to the plea deal.
“Like all transactions, this one will give rise to conflicting emotions: on the one hand the pain of not having been able to present arguments sufficiently convincing to prove one’s innocence, and on the other the anger of many people” who feel “infuriated” when they are admitted, he said in a statement.
Under Italian law, a plea bargain does not constitute a guilty plea. The deal still requires approval from the trial judge, but such agreements are generally accepted.
In Italy, Aldo Spinelli, a well-known port tycoon and former owner of football clubs Genoa and Livorno and Italian utility IREN (IRE.MI), lost his job after being arrested.
Signorini agreed to a plea deal and was sentenced to three years and five months in prison, two judicial sources said.
His lawyer could not immediately be reached for comment.
The hearing of the other defendants is scheduled for November 5.
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