In three bombastic videos, Mr Andrea Colombini has announced a counter-complaint against me, suggested to him, so it seems, by his lawyers. Furthermore, in the videos Colombini announces that court proceedings will establish whether or not it is true that my fees were paid into an overseas account, and he rallies the participants in my collective appeals in order to call them as witnesses to heaven knows what facts.
The criminal complaint that I already lodged on 14 July against Mr Colombini concerns statements he made during the online radio broadcast “Microfono aperto con Andrea Colombini” on 12 July 2023, during which he claimed that I had asked people for fees for instructions that were subsequently not carried out. Colombini stated verbatim that the sums paid by way of professional fees had allegedly “disappeared”.
Unlike Colombini, who continues to claim that he has phantom “evidence”, I am not asking you to take my word for it. For anyone wishing to check what has been done in the collective appeals, simply consult the page https://www.difendersiora.it/aggiornamenti. There are copies of the pleadings, the proceedings numbers, and with the Giustizia Civile app everyone can check the status of the cases.
Colombini is now attempting to shift the focus to my bank account and claims, like a modern-day Sherlock Holmes, to have found proof of bank transfers to my account in Belgium. As the saying goes, discovering that water is wet. Indeed, I wish to contribute to Colombini's investigative efforts and provide him with further proof of the existence of my overseas account. Here is a page from my website where my professional account details are clearly set out and where the reasons why I use it are explained:https://www.difendersiora.it/ricorso.
So in favour am I of overseas accounts that I have advised everyone to follow my lead and open an account outside Italy, given my deep distrust of the Italian banking system. I have even dedicated a video to the poor reliability of the banking system
A criminal complaint was not lodged against Colombini because he said that I hold an overseas account, which is true and perfectly legal. A complaint was lodged against Colombini because he claimed that I had collected fees without carrying out the instructions entrusted to my firm and that I had made the sums paid to me by my clients disappear, all of which were, on the contrary, duly invoiced.
I wonder—and I look forward to reading the fine submission by Colombini’s lawyers—what criminal offence he thinks he is accusing me of. As is well known, up to now I have never spoken of Mr Colombini, nor has he ever been a client of mine. The announcement of this phantom counter-complaint serves solely to create the false impression that he has evidence. Let him publish it. Let us see this evidence. In reality, Colombini has merely "discovered" that the fees were paid into my professional account.
I trust that with this rather laughable affair I have helped distract us from the grave and serious matters I usually speak about, and I hope, provided Colombini does not come out with some further quip, not to trouble you any further with this story.