Automated Summary
Key Facts
Bellomonte Salvatore was convicted for calunnia (defamation) and truffa (fraud). In the defamation case, he falsely accused D'Orio Girolamo and D'Orio Alessandro of extortion to avoid liability for fraud. For the fraud, he impersonated a Telecom employee to deceive D'Orio Girolamo into paying €13,490 for a fake land purchase process and later impersonated a healthcare official to obtain €680 from Scaglione Girolama for a false insurance policy. Additionally, he defrauded Di Gaetano Filippo of €880 by posing as a Telecom employee offering a fake job opportunity.
Issues
- Whether the assignment of a criminal case involving the offense of calunnia (defamation) to an honorary judge, who is not authorized to handle such cases under the legal framework, constitutes an absolute nullity of the sentence, thereby invalidating the entire judicial process.
- Whether the nullity arising from the honorary judge's ineligibility to adjudicate the calunnia charge extends to the entire cumulative proceeding, including unrelated fraud charges that the honorary judge was legally permitted to handle.
Holdings
- The court determines that the first motive of the appeal, concerning the capacity of the honorary judge, has absorbent value and must be remitted to the Sezioni Unite for resolution. This includes examining whether the assignment of the calumny charge to an honorary judge constitutes an absolute nullity under the law.
- The court raises the question of whether the nullity resulting from the honorary judge's incapacity to handle the calumny charge extends to all related offenses (e.g., truffa) in the same case, or only to the calumny charge itself. This requires clarification by the Sezioni Unite.
- The court highlights that the honorary judge (Giudice onorario) was assigned to a case involving the crime of calunnia, which is not among the offenses permitted under art. 550 cod. proc. pen. This raises a potential absolute nullity of the proceedings, as the judge's capacity to handle such a charge is in question.
Remedies
The court remits the appeal to the Sezioni Unite for further examination, as the case involves significant legal questions requiring unified judicial interpretation.
Legal Principles
The court examines whether the treatment of a criminal case by an honorary judge constitutes ultra vires conduct, leading to absolute nullity of the judgment under art. 178, comma 1, lett. a), cod. proc. pen. This involves analyzing the capacity of honorary judges to handle specific crimes (like defamation) under art. 550 cod. proc. pen. and the distinction between 'capacity generica' and 'capacity specifica' in determining judicial legitimacy.
Precedent Name
- Buattini
- Evangelisti
- Barontini
- Veneto
- Mocanu
- Tamburello
- Schettino
- Cinque
- Colubriale
- Von Pinoci
- Fidone
- Innacco
- Agrama
- Suriel
- R.
- Onichini
- Cambio
- Guacci
- G.G.T. GIOVENZANA TRASFORMAZIONI SRL
Cited Statute
- Costituzione Italiana
- Codice di Procedura Penale
- Decreto Legislativo 13 luglio 2017, n. 116
- Regio Decreto n. 12 del 30 gennaio 1941
- Decreto Presidente della Repubblica 22 settembre 1988, n. 449
Judge Name
- Pietro Silvestri
- Antonina Bucchieri
- Gaetano De Amicis
Passage Text
- Sez. 3, n. 44962 del 17/10/2024, Buattini, Rv. 287295, ha affermato che la sentenza emessa dal giudice onorario di pace per reati non compresi nel novero di quelli per cui è prevista la citazione diretta a giudizio è affetta da nullità assoluta, difettando in radice la capacità del giudicante.
- In particolare, la Corte di cassazione ha affermato che il giudice onorario di pace, chiamato in violazione del divieto inderogabile di cui all'art. 12 d.lgs. n. 116 del 2017, a comporre un collegio che giudica un reato che rientra nell'elenco di cui all'art. 407, comma 2, lett. a), cod. proc. pen., non può conoscere né di tale reato né di eventuali reati connessi, rendendo nulla l'intera sentenza.
- Rimette il ricorso alle Sezioni Unite per decidere: 1) se la violazione dell'art. 11, comma 6, d.lgs. 13 luglio 2017, n. 116, integri una nullità assoluta; 2) se la nullità, se riconosciuta, abbia effetto su tutti i reati oggetto del processo cumulativo.