Riccardo Riccardi sues La Verità over Bocelli concert allegations

Riccardo Riccardi, the regional health assessor for Friuli Venezia Giulia, has filed a defamation lawsuit with the Milan Public Prosecutor's Office against Mario Giordano and Maurizio Belpietro, the editors of the newspaper La Verità.

The legal action follows an article published on August 31 regarding an Andrea Bocelli concert. The article alleged that Riccardi assigned a 3-million-euro cost for the concert to a business partner of his son. Riccardi denies these claims, stating that his involvement was limited to the earthquake 50th-anniversary committee within the Civil Protection department, which identified Bocelli as a suitable performer.

Riccardi maintains that he had no role in the procurement process and that neither his son nor any companies linked to him received contracts related to the event. The lawsuit also seeks to investigate whether there was a political mastermind behind the publication, noting the timing coincides with regional political polling.