Former premier Matteo Renzi, leader of Italia Viva (IV), was acquitted in Florence on Thursday over alleged Open foundation financial irregularities.
The judge cleared Renzi and 10 others, including ex-reform minister Maria Elena Boschi, former sports minister Luca Lotti, and businessman Marco Carrai. Alberto Bianchi, the ex-president of Open, was also among those acquitted.
“I’m almost 50. The last five years felt like I had the plague because of the Open investigation,” Renzi said on X.
“It was a scandal for anyone who read the case documents. Yet, I was politically slaughtered by many, including Brothers of Italy and the 5-Star Movement.
“After years of suffering, the news came today: acquitted. Myself and all my friends were acquitted.
“Many people should apologise—Meloni and journalist Marco Travaglio first of all. They won’t. Never mind,” Renzi added.
Renzi, Boschi, and Carrai faced charges of illegal party financing, while other alleged crimes included corruption, self-laundering, and influence peddling.
Prosecutors claimed Open acted as a de facto political party branch, particularly for Renzi’s faction within the Democratic Party. Between 2014 and 2018, Open allegedly received €3.5 million in party-financing violations.
Renzi denied the accusations and filed complaints against the prosecutors, calling the case politically motivated.
The preliminary hearing, which began on 3 April 2022, lasted over two years, including a Constitutional Court appeal. Deputy prosecutor Luca Turco, who led the case with Aldo Nastasi, was present in court. Turco is set to retire on 24 December.
In 2021, Renzi was also investigated for illegal financing and false billing, which he denied.
