Rome Appeals Prosecutor Seeks Statute of Limitations for Fini and Tulliani Family

The chief prosecutor of the Rome Court of Appeal, Roberto Felici, has petitioned the court to declare that the money-laundering charges against former Chamber president Gianfranco Fini and his family members are no longer prosecutable due to prescription. The request targets Fini, his companion Elisabetta Tulliani, brother Giancarlo Tulliani and father Sergio Tulliani, all of whom were convicted in the first instance in April 2024 with sentences ranging from two years and eight months to six years.

While Felici accepts the factual basis of the original judgment, he rejects the appeal arguments presented by the defendants' counsel and emphasizes the need to recognize the elapsed limitation period. The defense team, led by Francesco Caroleo Grimaldi and Michele Sarno, initially sought full acquittal on the premise that the alleged conduct did not occur, and subsequently requested a declaration of prescription. The appellate court is slated to deliver its decision in February. The case stems from the disputed sale of a Monte Carlo apartment originally donated by Countess Donna Anna Maria Colleoni, which changed hands multiple times before being sold for a profit, a transaction that never involved Fini as a resident.