Agnelli Inheritance: Hearing on John Elkann Adjourned to September
The Turin judge has set 11 September for the next hearing in the fraud case involving the entrepreneur. The statute of limitations has been interrupted. At the centre of the dispute is the succession of Marella Caracciolo.
Agnelli Inheritance: Hearing on John Elkann Adjourned to September
The preliminary magistrate of the Piedmont capital has postponed the discussion of the case involving the heir of the Turin family to September. The decision, taken by judge Irene Giani, also halts the running of the statute of limitations. The case concerns the hypothesis of fraud against the state linked to the division of the assets left by the widow of the Avvocato, who died six years ago.
The procedural issue has its roots in 2004, when his daughter Margherita signed a series of documents in Swiss territory in which her mother designated the three grandchildren as beneficiaries. Since then, the woman has challenged those documents, believing that her mother's residence abroad was merely a device to bypass Italian law and deprive her of her share of the inheritance.
The contrast between the parties emerged in court. The lawyer of the claimant, Dario Trevisan, requested to be admitted as an injured party, claiming moral damages in addition to economic loss. He argues that his client was excluded from a "complex fraudulent scheme" which caused her to lose control of the Dicembre company, the holding company of the group.
On the other side, the lawyers for Elkann, notary Morone and administrator Ferrero raised objections. They pointed out that any alleged harm would have fallen on public coffers, excluding the legitimacy of John's mother to appear in court as a civil party. Siniscalchi, the entrepreneur's defence counsel, described the compensation claim as "immoral", noting that Margherita has already received her share and that control of Dicembre is not in danger.
The next court hearing, scheduled for autumn, will mark an important stage in determining the fate of the investigation.
Source: Il Fatto Quotidiano
Source: Il Fatto Quotidiano - Cronaca