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ROME — Giuseppe Orsi, the former CEO of Italian group Finmeccanica, will stand trial on June 19 on accusations of corruption linked to a 2010 deal to sell AW101 helicopters to India.
Orsi, who denies all charges, was freed from custody on Saturday after being held on suspicion since his arrest in February.
Investigators believe he was involved in a bid to fix the terms of the Indian helicopter tender to favor the AW101, which is built by Finmeccanica unit AgustaWestland. Orsi was CEO of AW at the time of the deal.
Prosecutors have successfully argued that Orsi should be brought to trial immediately, skipping the lengthy pre-trial hearings expected under Italian law. Prosecutors can ask a presiding judge to forgo pre-trial hearings if they are confident they have evidence to convict.
In a statement, Orsi’s lawyer claimed the weight of evidence had weakened during the investigation and was based on claims made by former Finmeccanica staffer Lorenzo Borgogni, who was fired by Orsi for ethical violations.
Bruno Spagnolini, who took over AgustaWestland when Orsi became Finmeccanica CEO, is also charged and will stand trial with Orsi. He was released from house arrest on Saturday.■
