Luigi Brugnaro, who served as Venice’s centre-right mayor for a decade before the recent end of his mandate, has been indicted on charges of violating electoral spending laws relating to his 2020 local election campaign.
Luigi Brugnaro, 64, former mayor of Venice and founder of the political party Coraggio Italia, was indicted on Friday on charges of violating Italy’s laws governing electoral expenses. The alleged irregularities relate to his 2020 local election campaign. A trial has been set for 21 September.
Three co-defendants have been indicted alongside Brugnaro on various charges of forgery and illicit financing: Morris Ceron, Brugnaro’s chief of staff; Walter Bianchi of the Northeast Production and Development Consortium; and Adriano Giugie, the official representative responsible for campaign expenses.
At the centre of the investigation is the alleged exceeding of the legal electoral spending limit by approximately €300,000. Italian electoral law places strict caps on campaign expenditure for local elections, and any breach — whether through undeclared spending, falsified accounts or the use of third-party financing — constitutes a criminal offence.
Brugnaro’s political career
Brugnaro, a businessman and entrepreneur who built his fortune in the recruitment sector before entering politics, served as Venice’s mayor from 2015. During his tenure he was a prominent and at times controversial figure in Italian local politics, known for his combative style and his hostility to what he characterised as the ideological excesses of the left. He founded Coraggio Italia — variously translated as Courage Italy — as a vehicle for centre-right politicians seeking an alternative to the established parties of the coalition. He recently ended his mayoral mandate following local elections.
In July 2024, prosecutors started investigating Brugnaro and others over corruption and illegal tnedrers in the city.
