Rome's former centre-left mayor Ignazio Marino could face trial for embezzlement and forgery over an expenses scandal that in October forced him out of office, according to judicial probes that concluded on Wednesday.
Prosecutors allege that Marino ordered his assistants to prepare expenses claims for 56 meals he paid for with his mayoral credit card from 2013-2105, describing them as official business when in fact the diners were Marino, family members and "other unidentified people" .
Marino then put his signature to the bogus expense claims for the private meals in restaurants in Rome, Genoa, Turin and Florence, prosecutors said.
In a second probe, Marino and three other people defrauded Italy's national social security fund of 6,000 euros over fake consultancy payments made by an overseas aid charity Marino founded, prosecutors allege.
On 30 October, scandal-hit Marino confirmed media reports of the two investigations against him but strongly denied any wrongdoing and claimed he had acted "transparently".
Later the same day, 26 members of Rome's municipal council resigned, depriving Marino of his ruling majority and signalling the end of his two-year administration. The capital is being run by a commissioner until fresh mayor elections due to be held this Spring.
One of the most unpopular politicians in Italy, Marino was elected with a strong reputation for personal honesty, but faced mounting public anger over the dilapidated state of the capital, a failing public transport system and allegations of mafia infiltration of the municipal authority.
He was elected to a five-year term of office in 2013.
