Italian Supreme Court rules Carabinieri attempted to hide responsibility in Cucchi case

The Italian Supreme Court of Cassation has issued a 90-page ruling regarding the investigation into the cover-up following the death of Stefano Cucchi in 2009. The court rejected appeals from several Carabinieri members, including General Alessandro Casarsa, and recognized a “clear intention to hide responsibilities” among certain agents.

Judges determined that service notes were intentionally drafted with nearly identical editorial characteristics to make it difficult to distinguish modifications, effectively concealing information regarding Cucchi’s physical condition between his arrest and his interrogation. The court noted that this effort to prevent his physical state from being linked to the actions of the agents was a “deliberate and strategic” objective.

While the ruling confirms the intent to obstruct, it also resulted in the acquittal of Colonel Lorenzo Sabatino due to a lack of evidence of criminal intent. Other appeals, including those from Casarsa, Soligo, and Cavallo, were dismissed due to the statute of limitations. Ilaria Cucchi, the victim's sister, expressed that the ruling brings a sense of justice to her family after years of moral and physical hardship.