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Rome Judge Dismisses Probe Into Report Journalists Over Sangiuliano Audio

The ruling says the broadcast served the public interest because investigators found no proof the reporters knew the recording came from a private home.

Overview

  • A judge in Rome closed the case against Report journalists Sigfrido Ranucci and Luca Bertazzoni, ruling the broadcast was lawful reporting.
  • The order says there is no proof they knew the conversation between Gennaro Sangiuliano and his wife happened in a private dwelling, which Italian law requires for this crime.
  • Following a November 2025 bid by prosecutors to close the file, the judge declared the complainants’ push for more checks inadmissible, including requests to question a Rai executive, obtain a parliamentary video, and image the source’s devices.
  • The judge framed source Maria Rosaria Boccia’s actions as part of a “criminal strategy,” noting she first tried to give the audio to journalist Luca Telese, who refused it as “not legal.”
  • The data regulator’s €150,000 fine against Rai over the airing was annulled in January 2026, and a separate criminal case involving Boccia remains active.