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Milan Judge Halts Santanchè Preliminary Hearing Pending Constitutional Court Review

The pause follows a Senate referral asking the Constitutional Court to decide the admissibility of certain private communications.

Overview

  • Judge Tiziana Gueli granted the defense request to suspend the preliminary hearing while the Constitutional Court examines a conflict of attribution raised by the Senate.
  • Prosecutors Maria Gravina and Luigi Luzi opposed the halt, maintaining that the contested recordings and emails are documentary material provided by former employees and require no parliamentary authorization.
  • The suspension freezes procedural deadlines and the statute-of-limitations clock, with an interlocutory check scheduled for 20 February 2026 as the constitutional ruling could take many months.
  • The case centers on alleged aggravated fraud against INPS involving roughly €126,000–€130,000 in COVID-era wage support for 13 employees of Visibilia Editore and Visibilia Concessionaria from 2020 to 2022.
  • The evidence at issue includes five recordings made by ex-director Eugenio Moschini and emails, with the defense and Senate invoking Article 68 protections and the 2023 Open-Renzi precedent.