Brescia Court Convicts Ex-Head Doctor of Bribery and Abuse of Office
Responsibility and Conviction of the Former Head Doctor
The Brescia Court of Appeal has also found the former head of the radiology department at the Castiglione hospital, Giuseppe Cremona, 64 years old, from Rodigo, guilty of bribery, abuse of office, and falsehood.
Essentially, it confirmed the first-instance sentence, with a reduction of 10 days in prison, as it merged some instances of abuse of office into the charge of conspiracy.
Overall, the conviction is for 2 years, 10 months, and 20 days. The Brescia judges also ordered a provisional payment of 10 million euros for the civil party — L’Ussl 21, now Hospital Company — represented by lawyer Sergio Genovesi, with damages to be liquidated in a separate proceeding.
This is what the Mantova Tribunal had not done, which only ordered the reimbursement of legal costs. Following this sentence, the ex-head doctor of the San Pellegrino hospital in Castiglione risks imprisonment once the judgment becomes final.
Other Convictions and Appeals
Because he also has a final conviction of 1 year and 6 months for altering a patient’s medical record who died during a CT scan. It is clear that, at this point, the Rodigo doctor has no choice but to appeal to the Cassation Court.
The first-instance trial concluded on November 21, 1997, with a sentence of 2 years and 11 months in prison, while Prosecutor Enzo Rosina had requested 4 years. To try to overturn the Virgilian Tribunal verdict, Dr. Cremona relied on one of Italy’s most renowned criminal lawyers, Gaetano Pecorella.
Bribery Allegations
The bribery charge was based on the accusation that — according to prosecutors — the ex-head doctor had induced patients to choose paid instrumental examinations (CT scans, ultrasounds, mammographies, X-rays, etc…) by forcing them to undergo a visit arranged by him, even without paying the ticket.
In other words, by paying 120,000 lire for the visit, patients could immediately access, or do so in very short order, the instrumental examinations, often without paying the ticket.
The falsehood related to adding requests for additional tests to the general practitioners’ referral forms, in order to benefit from a sort of bonus. Additionally, there were various behaviors that constituted abuse of office.
