Vittorio Sgarbi acquitted by Court of Auditors over consultancy dispute

The Court of Auditors has acquitted Vittorio Sgarbi regarding 121 professional consultancies performed during his tenure as Undersecretary to the Ministry of Culture. The court rejected the prosecution's request for Sgarbi to reimburse the state over 200,000 euros, ruling that no financial damage to the public treasury was demonstrated.

Judges determined that Sgarbi's activities did not constitute a conflict of interest or a neglect of his institutional duties. The court noted that during the period in question, Sgarbi performed a significant number of public activities related to his office. Furthermore, the topics discussed during his contested lectures, such as ancient history, did not fall within the specific scope of his ministerial delegation. The ruling stated that Sgarbi was exercising fundamental rights protected by the Constitution and the European Convention on Human Rights.

As a result of the acquittal, the Ministry of Culture has been ordered to pay Sgarbi 3,500 euros to cover his legal expenses. The legal proceedings follow Sgarbi's resignation from the government in February 2024 amid political controversy regarding his external professional engagements.