Published on Thursday, 07 February 2013 11:34
Written by Matteo Brighenti
During the first hearing of the Florence investigating judge, 130 entities asked to join the civil action in the proceedings on the management of the Menarini pharmaceutical company: these are the ministries of health and the economy, numerous local health authorities and six regions. There are 13 defendants: among them the owner of the group Alberto Aleotti, 90, accused of fraud against the state, and his children Lucia and Giovanni, accused of money laundering and tax evasion. The investigation was coordinated by the Florence prosecutor's office and conducted by the Nas carabinieri. “The constitutions of the civil party are mostly due documents and in lower numbers than what we expected on the eve. The Public Prosecutor's Office had invited all the healthcare companies in Italy to appear as plaintiffs” commented Alessandro Traversi, one of the Aleotti family's lawyers, on Justice TV. During the hearing, the defense requested the suspension of the proceedings for Alberto Aleotti. "We asked on the basis of his current health conditions - continued the lawyer - the investigating judge therefore ordered a medical report to evaluate Aleotti's ability to participate consciously in the trial". However, the prosecutors opposed the defense's request, recalling, among other things, that in 2011 Aleotti signed the power of attorney for his children for the purchase of MPS shares, which then took place in 2012. For the lawyer Traversi, however, that of the gup is a "dutiful decision". “The previous situation is irrelevant – he said – the incapacity must be assessed at the time of the trial. The gup, on this point, proved us right ”. In recent years, the prosecutors have put together almost one hundred thousand pages on the Menarini affair. An epochal case, with a very serious accusation made against the Aleotti family and senior managers of the Florentine pharmaceutical company: they allegedly defrauded healthcare companies for over twenty years with "inflated" prices of the active ingredients. According to the investigators, Alberto Aleotti and sons would have installed a system that provided for an increase in the cost of drugs by creating non-existent companies to increase the costs of buying and selling active ingredients. Hypotheses are already being made on the possible sanction for the industry in the event that it is found guilty: 3 million euros is the most accredited item. In fact, we would find ourselves faced with the biggest and most devastating scam against the Italian state in memory. "During the preliminary hearing we will address the merits - concluded the lawyer Traversi - and we will demonstrate that this scam does not exist". The next hearing is set for February 21st.
