Taken as co.co.co press officer, but “he was an employee”: Pd Lecce and Bellanova convicted

The provincial Democratic Party of Lecce used a university student as a press officer for just over three years, between 2010 and 2013, keeping him as co.co.co and with a VAT number for 1,200 euros gross per month, while in fact it was a party employee, with an “employment relationship”. For this reason, the labor section of the Lecce Court of Appeal sentenced him to pay Maurizio Pascali over 50 thousand euros, of which 6,700 jointly with the former minister Teresa Bellanova. “Pascali’s activity was purely executive of the requests of the representatives of the Democratic Party, with respect to which he acted as an interface – the judges write – with the local press, also monitoring and reporting the publication of interventions by subjects of different political orientation to which the Democratic Party could reply (…). Pascali’s contribution was characterized by temporal continuity and coordination due to the close correlation with the inputs of the party’s exponents made ostensible also by the use of a workstation as well as a fixed telephone number ”, we read. The student then, “in addition to being interested in the communication of the provincial Democratic Party”, “was directly called by the Honorable Bellanova to integrate his personal staff in view of the national elections held for that year”, is explained in the appeal sentence dating back to last June but which has been filed in these days as part of another trial that concerns among others Pascali and Bellanova.