Vannacci acquitted of charges of embezzlement and fraud: 'I have always respected the laws'

"I have always acted with the utmost respect for the law and with the sole intention of representing our country to the best of my ability. I am grateful that the truth has emerged and that my integrity has been confirmed'. This is how General Roberto Vannacci, now a Lega Nord MEP, commented on his acquittal from the charges of embezzlement and fraud that had been brought against him during his time as pro-tempore military attaché at the Italian Embassy in Moscow.

The announcement was made on the afternoon of Saturday, 3 August by the general's lawyer, Giorgio Carta, who explained how, by decree of 26 July, 'the Deputy Chief of Defence Staff had decreed "the non-existence of any type of administrative responsibility, due to wilful misconduct or gross negligence" and had forwarded the relevant documents to the competent Regional Prosecutor's Office for the Lazio Jurisdictional Section of the Court of Auditors, which, moreover, contrary to media reports, had not notified the officer of any proceedings against him'.

Vannacci was charged, in particular, with the improper use of a service car and the use of resources pertaining to the 'Promotion Italy' fund for the organisation of institutional convivial events in his role at the Russian Embassy. "In this regard," the lawyer clarified, "we also inform you that, contrary to press reports, the facts in question have not been contested even by the military or ordinary public prosecutor's office. This is also in consideration of the fact that the news of the opening of the investigation was reported with great clamour in all the press, so we hereby wish to give equal prominence in the media to the positive conclusion of the proceedings, which definitively excludes any hypothesised administrative and accounting responsibility.