More than 40 guilty of corruption

A Rome court has found more than 40 defendants guilty in a wideranging corruption trial that revealed a system of bribes and intimidation to gain control of city contracts.

But the court did not convict any defendant of mafia-style association, a key element of the prosecutors’ case that would have been the first in Italy to unite findings of corruption with the trappings of organised crime.

The court gave the highest sentence to the alleged ringleader, Massimo Carminati, who was handed 20 years in jail – less than the 28 sought by prosecutors.