Lucrezia Ciotti The new judicial phase of the Garlasco crime is preparing to enter into full swing on two distinct fronts, yet closely linked by the investigative elements. On one side, there's the request to commit Andrea Sempio to trial , accused of the murder of Chiara Poggi; on the other, there's the possible review of the final conviction of Alberto Stasi, the victim's ex-boyfriend.
Judge Luigi Riganti will assess the new suspect's position : here's who he is and what we know about him.
Alberto Stasi, possible trial review: decision expected in 2027
In parallel with the Pavia investigation, attention is being paid to Brescia, where a request could be presented to request a review of Alberto Stasi 's sentence.
A new Attorney General could be appointed to handle the matter. The current Attorney General, Guido Rispoli, was appointed by the CSM to head the Verona Prosecutor's Office. he is expected to leave Brescia at the beginning of 2027, likely after the inauguration of the judicial year, scheduled for the end of January. Having arrived in 2020, Rispoli previously headed the Attorney General's Offices of Campobasso and Bolzano; in 2024, the CSM confirmed his Brescia assignment.
Any request revision it could arrive as early as mid-NovemberIn this case, the Court of Appeal of Brescia could rule on the admissibility within three or four months, with a first verdict expected in early 2027.
The procedure initially involves filing an application with the competent Court of Appeal. At this stage, there will be three possible avenues: immediate rejection on the basis of the documents, without setting a hearing, as already happened for a previous request made by Stasi; calling a public hearing or discussion in the council chamberIn both of the last two cases, the judges will be called upon to establish whether there are grounds for proceeding.
Garlasco, a judge has been appointed for Sempio: who is Luigi Riganti and what happens next?
As reported by Ansa , Luigi Riganti, 64 , will be the preliminary hearing judge called to examine the request for indictment presented by the Pavia Prosecutor's Office against Andrea Sempio . The file, relating to the investigation into the murder of Chiara Poggi, which occurred on August 13, 2007 in Garlasco, was delivered to him on November 4. The magistrate will then have to evaluate the documentation gathered by investigators and decide whether to order a trial. However, due to the volume of documents filed, it may take several weeks before a decision is reached.
Originally from Pavia, Riganti has gained professional experience in various Italian courts , working in Enna, Vercelli, and San Benedetto del Tronto. In 2010, he arrived in his hometown, where he served as coordinator of the criminal division and trial judge, before moving to the preliminary investigations judge's division. Among the most significant cases he has handled is the one that, last February, led to his conviction of Massimo Adriatici, a former Northern League councilor in Voghera, to 12 years in prison for the voluntary manslaughter of Younes El Boussettaoui. Riganti is also being asked to assess the need for further investigation into the killing of Andrea Rocchelli, the Pavia-born photojournalist who died in Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Sempio's defense has already anticipated its moves. The lawyers intend to request a stay of proceedings and raise a question of constitutionality before the Constitutional Court. At the heart of the dispute is the final conviction already handed down against Alberto Stasi . According to lawyer Liborio Cataliotti, proceeding against a second defendant without first addressing the position of the previously convicted man risks creating a " legal monster ."
For now, therefore, two judicial paths remain open : one that will determine whether Sempio will be tried for Chiara Poggi's murder, and one that could call into question Alberto Stasi's criminal liability. The respective timelines and the magistrates' decisions will be crucial to the development of a case that, almost twenty years later, continues to challenge the Italian justice system.