No involvement in a criminal conspiracy: that is the position maintained by the defense lawyers of Lorenzo Savorelli, Wafik Grais, Filippo Siotto and Mirella Sommella in the trial concerning the Banca Cis affair.
Prosecutors had sought convictions for 10 of the 13 defendants, totaling 41 years in prison and damages close to €63 million. The prosecution’s theory is that an organized group committed financial crimes and obstructed supervisory oversight in order to benefit Cis and Francesco Confuorti.
The lawyer for Savorelli, former general director of Banca Centrale, defended the work carried out by his client, pointing to the Aqr (Asset Quality Review) checks that had revealed difficulties within the banking system. He asked for acquittal or, failing that, for the case to be dismissed under the statute of limitations, and, as a further alternative, for the proceedings to be transferred to Milan.
For Grais, former chairman of Bcsm (San Marino’s Central Bank), the defense argued he had no connection whatsoever to the alleged conspiracy, stressing that he received no money beyond his regular salary.
The defense for Siotto, who at the time worked in the Supervisory Authority, disputed the existence of evidence supporting the charges and requested that the recorded audio be ruled inadmissible. It was also noted that the defendant had flagged irregularities and had opposed certain decisions.
The lawyer for Sommella, also a former member of the Supervisory Authority, denied that she had been recruited by Confuorti and argued that she had received no benefits and had not taken part in the operations related to the special administration of Asset.
The trial resumes on Thursday, October 22. Still to be heard are, among others, the closing arguments from the defense teams of Buriani, Grandoni, Guidi and Confuorti.
