Sorrento system, the judge rejects the plea of former mayor Coppola: too few 5 years of sentence

In a significant development within the ongoing judicial proceedings known as "Sistema Sorrento," former mayor of Sorrento Massimo Coppola has reached a plea agreement with prosecutors. Under this deal, Coppola faces five years of imprisonment and must return 205,866 euros in bribes. The agreement covers ten charges of corruption, three counts of bid-rigging, two instances of undue influence involving school cafeteria contracts awarded to the cooperative Prisma, and one charge of embezzlement related to funds misappropriated from the association La Fenice. This agreement was finalized following a hearing on July 10, which began at noon, and involves coordination between the prosecution led by prosecutor Nunzio Fragliasso and Coppola's defense team, represented by lawyers Bruno Larosa and Gianni Pane. The agreement also includes a similar plea deal for Raffaele Guida, known as "Lello il Sensitivo." While Coppola must repay the bribe money, Guida does not face financial restitution at this time. However, Guida had previously faced a major seizure of nearly 170,000 euros last year. This marks a pivotal moment in the trials surrounding "Sistema Sorrento." Coppola, currently under house arrest outside the region, did not attend the court session but authorized his legal representatives to negotiate an agreement that effectively dismisses most of the charges against him. These charges led to his arrest in May 2025, where he was caught with cash belonging to Prisma's owner Michele De Angelis in his backpack after leaving a restaurant meal in Sorrento. He was accompanied by his close associate and journalist Francesco Di Maio, who serves as the de facto editor-in-chief of "Agora," a weekly publication aligned with the mayor's political agenda. Di Maio recently received a conviction in the first instance for four years and two months, slightly exceeding the initial request made by prosecutors. Meanwhile, the agreement regarding Guida was reached without the immediate obligation to pay back sums of money. Judge Maria Ausilia Sabatino will have the final say on the validity of these plea agreements during the hearing scheduled for July 14. The judge must evaluate an agreement resulting from extensive and complex negotiations between prosecutors Giuliano Schioppi and Matteo De Micheli and the defense attorneys, supervised by the chief prosecutor. These discussions began in January and were formally proposed in February, initially focusing solely on the bribes linked to the Prisma contracts. Negotiations continued until just days ago. A crucial factor in reaching the agreement was the acceptance of the defense requests by Coppola’s lawyers to consolidate the two pending indictments into a single trial. One indictment pertains exclusively to the bribes concerning the school cafeteria contracts, while the other encompasses multiple public tenders and contracts affected by the precautionary measures issued in July 2025, leading to sixteen arrests. This second trial represents the core of the "Sistema Sorrento" case, which remains unresolved for many others. Investigations into the contracts covered by the precautionary measures from last May remain outside the scope of the plea agreement. In this investigation, Coppola was investigated while free on bail. Prosecutors acknowledged his cooperation during the recent hearing, stating they would not support the agreed penalty application without such collaboration. This acknowledgment highlights the importance of Coppola's role as a primary source of information for the prosecutors throughout the case.