Mattarella grants five pardons: reasons and recipients

President of the Republic Sergio Mattarella has adopted five individual clemency measures. Mattarella signed - in accordance with Article 87(11) of the Constitution - five clemency decrees, on which the Minister of Justice, upon conclusion of the prescribed preliminary investigation, issued a favourable opinion. Here are the recipients.

Bardhyl Zeneli, born in 1962, sentenced to one year and six months' imprisonment for the crime of evading house arrest. In granting the pardon for the whole of the sentence the President of the Republic took into account the favourable opinions expressed by the Supervisory Magistrate and the Attorney General's Office, who pointed out that the act for which the defendant was convicted (having left the house where he was under house arrest) does not constitute evasion and therefore does not constitute a crime.

Cioni Franco, born in 1948, sentenced to six years, four months and twenty days' imprisonment for the crime of the voluntary murder of his wife, who was suffering from a terminal illness and with whom he had been romantically linked for fifty years, committed in April 2021. In granting the pardon that extinguished the entire prison sentence still to be served (equal to five years and six months of imprisonment), the Head of State took into account the favourable opinions expressed by the Attorney General and the Surveillance Magistrate, the convicted man's health conditions, the pardon granted by the victim's sister and the particular condition in which the crime took place.

Ciappei Alessandro, born in 1974, sentenced to ten months' imprisonment for the crime of fraud, committed in 2014. In adopting the act of clemency for the residual sentence to be served (nine months and three days' imprisonment), the President of the Republic took into account the modest concrete gravity of the act and the occasional nature of the unlawful conduct, the long time elapsed since its commission and the personal situation of the convicted person, who resides and works abroad where he has re-established his life path.

Spezzuti Gabriele, born in 1968, sentenced to a term of imprisonment, served until 2014, and a fine of ninety thousand euros for drug offences committed in 2005. In adopting the act of clemency for the remaining fine to be enforced (a fine of eighty thousand euros), the President of the Republic took into account the fact that the prison sentence had been served, the long time that had elapsed since the commission of the offences, which had not been followed by any other unlawful conduct, and the poor living conditions of the convicted person.