The UAE extradited Rome entrepreneur Danilo Coppola to Italy on Sunday. Coppola received a sentence of seven years in prison for bankruptcy fraud in 2022. He arrived on a flight from Abu Dhabi.
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio expressed satisfaction with the decision made by the United Arab Emirates.
“I would like to thank Minister Al Nuaimi,” Nordio said. “This positive step in judicial cooperation with the United Arab Emirates demonstrates there is no impunity for those who commit crimes in Italy and seek refuge abroad.”
The Justice Ministry stated the decision followed months of intensive judicial and diplomatic efforts, initiated after Nordio’s visit last February. During discussions with his Emirati counterpart, Mohammed Al Nuaimi, Nordio raised several outstanding Italian extradition requests, including Coppola’s case.
Coppola, a real estate magnate, was arrested in Rome in May 2016 on charges of fraudulent bankruptcy. In April of that year, he received a sentence of nine years for a series of bankruptcies totalling €300million. In 2020, a Milan appeals court reduced his sentence to seven years. Italy’s Supreme Court upheld the verdict in 2022.
Coppola’s lawyers request the authorities to commute the prison sentence to house arrest. They claim Coppola has serious health conditions.
“We are deeply concerned about the health conditions of our client who has been seriously affected by serious cardiovascular diseases for some time. In light of this situation we will submit a request to the Surveillance Court to suspend the execution of the sentence with the request for house arrest due to his health conditions”.
