A warning had already cost him, now the verdict has come. Maurice Costanzo, The 84-year-old journalist and TV presenter was convicted heavy defamation against the investigating magistrate of Rimini, Vinicio Cantarini, 56, native of Loreto (Ancona). Judge Maria Elena Cola of the Ancona court handed down a one-year prison sentence, with the sentence suspended Payment of 40,000 euros how damages to the offended party. The verdict came in last Wednesday, but the news only broke on Friday evening, December 2nd.
As judge of the offended party, which formed a civil party with the lawyer Nazzareno Ciucciomei, the trial took place in a different court from the one where he practices; Ancona is responsible for Rimini. In an episode of Maurizio Costanzo Showaired April 20, 2017, Costanzo had made comments deemed offensive to the judge’s work to take a precautionary measure against Edson Tavares, the ex-boyfriend of Jessica NotaryRimini was disfigured with acid on January 10, 2017. The precautionary measure concerned stalking episodes before the acid act, the investigating judge had ordered a ban on approaching the woman, while the public prosecutor’s office had requested house arrest. “I would like to congratulate the coroner. I say to the CSM, the Supreme Judicial Council: compliments to this examining magistrate who made such a decision,” said the journalist. Costanzo’s defense argued that there was no defamatory intent. Now he can appeal.
Also on the show that day was Gessica Notaro, speaking publicly for the first time three months after the events. Costanzo had said: “Congratulations to this coroner, do we mean the name of the coroner who did this? We give the name. I would like to congratulate the coroner. I say to the CSM, the Supreme Council of the Judiciary: give my compliments to this coroner who decided this. Cantarini’s name had not been mentioned, but the reference had been clear. Costanzo had also emphatically approached then Attorney General Orlando “Investigating this investigating magistrate for not doing what the prosecutor asked him to keep this guy under house arrest, where is he from? From Rimini?“. According to Costanzo’s defense, there was no defamatory intent. Now he can appeal. However, for the prosecution, he would have damaged the judge’s reputation by claiming that the very serious consequences for the woman were a consequence of the ineffective or superficial attitude of the judge himself, who had not followed the development of the story closely enough. .