Judge throws out FAO Torero caso, acquits Insider editor

 ROME -- A judge at the Rome Tribunal found the Italian Insider chief editor not guilty of threatening FAO chief economist Max Torero on the ground that an Insider article about him did not constitute a serious threat as the FAO deputy director general claimed, judicial sources said.

  Following submissions by defense lawyer Avv. Manrico Andreozzi, the Italian judge acquitted Editor in chief John Phillips Monday on the ground that "the fact does not exist" and also ruled that the case should not have been brought in the first place because the FAO deputy director general did not follow the correct procedure in making only an 'esposto' rather than a denuncia as required by Italian law for initiation of criminal proceedings.

  Phillips said: "This is a significant victor for press freedom. Unfortunately we still face other vexatious cases against us, including yet another from the FAO trying to silence our investigative reporting on how FAO senior executives misuse donor funds for their own private interests." 

 Another FAO deputy director general, Godfrey Magwenzi, is suing the Insider for alleged defamation over our report on how he promoted his Russian-speaking lover to a P5 post worth as much as half a million dollars.  

 Readers and supporters wishing to donate to the Insider defense fund may do so by clicking on this link: https://www.gofundme.com/f/italian-insider-legal-defense-fund