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L'Unione SardaThe case of the boy who committed suicide: a former Scientology executive sentenced to 4 ½ yearsNov. 9th 2004Translated and posted by: Martini,
"Allarme Scientology", Original Article in Italian HERE
Cagliari (Sardinia), Italy
The case of the boy who committed suicide:
a former Scientology executive sentenced to 4 ½ years
He wasn't 20 yet but he's been living a nightmare for months: debts,
forced to pay tens of millions [of old lira] to an executive of the
Mission of Scientology. Desperate, he jumped from the window. Suicide.
This was how this tragedy was filed at first. But then the case was
reopened, ending in a new investigation and in the trial against an
affiliate and now ex executive of Scientology: yesterday Giorgio
Carta, 41, was found guilty of extortion against his cousin Roberto
Deplano, the boy who committed suicide on Feb. 18th, 1997. He will
serve a 4½ term.
This was the decision the Court chaired by Mr. Judge Sette took
yesterday, ending a vicissitude started 7 years ago. A case that
caused a stir. Judges decided for a punishment havier than the one
suggested by the prosecutor, who asked for a 4 yrs term.
The story dates back to 1997. On Feb. 18th Roberto Deplano, a 19 years
old student, jumped from his bedroom window at the six floor of a
building located in via Castiglione. A 20 meters flight ended in
tragedy. Investigators closed the case as a simple suicide, and the
investigation was filed. But his parents knew there was something
more. Something that lately had darkened and worried their son.
Antonino, his father, went to Mario Canessa, a lawyer, and told him
that Roberto had joined Scientology (a religious movement founded in
USA in 1954, that was spreading in town). He was happy at first, his
father said, but then Roberto began to darken and revealed to be
pressed with constant requests of money by Giorgio Carta, owner of a
bar in Piazza Giovanni XXIII and by then one of the executives of the
office of Scientology in Cagliari. [Mr. Deplano] talked of tens of
millions already paid. But it seemed that his son's generosity was
never enough. This account was confirmed also by the boy's friends and
by his mother: "Roberto was tired - she said - he wanted to leave that
cult but was unable to do so. He was changed, he stopped his studies,
he didn't play his music any longer. He told me that they brainwashed
him, that they wanted more and more money. That they threatened him to
disclose the intimate things he had revealed during the meetings of
the group. He was terrified, he even locked me inside because he
feared they would kill me. My husband and I even decided to leave
Cagliari: the nex day Roberto committed suicide, he wanted to save
us".
On September 1998, as a result of a charge filed by the lawyer,
prosecutor Guido Pani reopened the investigation: phone tappings,
searches, documents seized. Giorgio Carta was finally indicted with
che charge of extortion with the aid of unknown people, "because with
threats he repeatedly forced Roberto Deplano to give him a number of
sums in cash for a total of about 100 millions lira [about 51.000
euros]".
Carta has always rejected all the charges. His lawyers Guido Manca
Bitti and Luigi Concas said they were "surprised by the decision. We
are convinced of the innocence of Giorgio Carta. The investigation was
lacking and those lackings could have changed the tune". Later on the
defendant reaffirmed his innocence: "Obviously I'll appeal and this
decision sounds incredible. I'm waiting to read its motivation to
understand how the judges could have come to such unfair conclusions".
By Andrea Manunza,
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