Roberto Formigoni

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Infobox officeholder Roberto Formigoni (born 30 March 1947) is an Italian politician.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was the president of Lombardy from 1995 to 2013. He is the former unofficial political spokesperson of the Communion and Liberation movement. On 21 February 2019, the Supreme Court of Cassation, the highest court in Italy, found him guilty of corruption and sentenced him to a definitive jail term of 5 years and 10 months. As a result, he was detained in the prison of Bollate, near Milan, for a few months in 2019 before getting house arrest.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> He was released in November 2023.

Career

Born in Lecco in the Lombardy region, Formigoni began his political career early in Christian Democracy through youth movements, such as Gioventù Studentesca and Communion and Liberation, of which he became the unofficial political spokesman. In 1976, he founded the Popular Movement and was elected a deputy in both the European Parliament (with over 450,000 votes) and Italian Parliament. He was also the vice-president of the European Parliament for five years and served as undersecretary of state for the Ministry of the Environment in the Italian government.

In 1990, Formigoni garnered attention when he was involved in a mission to Iraq that successfully concluded with the freeing of some Italian technicians who were hostages of the local government. He later took part in the oil-for-food programme for Iraq, buying 1,000,000 oil barrels (160,000 cubic metres). The move sparked controversy and linked him to alleged bribe scandals. In 1995, he and Rocco Buttiglione founded the United Christian Democrats party. In 1998, he moved to Forza Italia, when Buttiglione briefly decided to support the government of Massimo D'Alema.

In 1995, Formigoni was elected president of Lombardy. Leftist groups opposed his centre-right platform. Formigoni was re-elected in 2000 carrying over 62% of the approximately 3.5 million votes, and in 2005 with almost 54% of the approximately 2.8 million votes. He was elected to a fourth term in March 2010 with 56% of the approximately 2.7 million votes. His candidature had been contested by academics and left-wing politicians, as in disregard of Law no. 165/2004, which put a limit of two consecutive mandates to directly elected regional presidents. Formigoni was indirectly elected in 1995 but then directly elected in 2000 and 2005. He defended himself, stating that the law was not in vigour when he was first directly elected in 2000, so he should be allowed a fourth mandate. According to some scholars, his mandate could have been overturned by judges later on.<ref>Vittorio Angiolini, professore ordinario di Diritto costituzionale dell'Università di Milano; Margherita Raveraira, Università di Perugia Il limite del doppio mandato alla immediata rielezione del Presidente della giunta regionale: una questione complessa Template:Webarchive, Federalismi.it</ref><ref name="ainis">Michele Ainis, La terza via di Errani e Formigoni, La Stampa, 25 gennaio 2010</ref>

Controversies

Formigoni candidated the Italian showgirl Nicole Minetti and dental hygienist of the former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who asked for a political seat for her, and this was contested by Italian newspapers.Template:Citation needed On 16 October 2012, Formigoni announced the dissolution of the regional legislature after one of his commissioners, Domenico Zambetti of the People of Freedom, was arrested on accusations he bought votes from the 'Ndrangheta in 2010 and extorted favours and public building contracts, including construction tenders for the World Expo 2015 in Milan.<ref name=mh>Italy corruption probes claim Lombardy legislature, Miami Herald, 16 October 2012</ref><ref name=ft141012>Mafia probe claims political victim, Financial Times, 14 October 2012</ref>

Italian court sentences against Formigoni

2000s: Bribery and environmental pollution

In 2002, Formigoni was judged for bribery due the landfill in Cerro Maggiore.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In December 2009, Formigoni was tried illegal environmental pollution.<ref>Ansa – Inquinamento in Lombardia</ref><ref>Inquinamento, Formigoni indagato dai pm di Milano, Corriere della Sera, 1º dicembre 2009</ref><ref>Smog, indagato anche Penati, Corriere della Sera, 26 gennaio 2010</ref>

2010s: Freemasonry, criminal association, and defamatory behavior against Italian judges

Formigoni was interrogated by Italian Court in Rome due the Propaganda Due (P2) Freemasonry group.<ref>La P3 agì su mandato di Formigoni Template:Webarchive</ref><ref name="corriere">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="repubblica2">Template:Cite web</ref> In July 2012, he was sentenced to 1 year of imprisonment due defamation.<ref name="repubblica3">Template:Cite web</ref> In January 2014, he was convicted of defaming the Italian judge, Alfredo Robledo.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

On 25 July 2012, Formigoni was convicted of bribery by Italian courts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 12 February 2013, he was investigated due criminal group activities.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On 3 March 2014, Formigoni was convicted for criminal association activities and bribery.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On 15 April 2016, the prosecution asked to sentence Formigoni to 9 years of prison and described him as a "boss of criminal group" due his tactical bribery attitudes that lasted more than 10 years while he managed more than 70 million euro public money.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

References

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External links

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