The criminal probe was opened after Italy’s Antitrust authority last month issued fines of over one million euros to companies linked to Ferragni and 420,000 euros to Italian confectionery company Balocco for unfair commercial practice in relation to sales of the pandoro.
The competition watchdog said customers were led to believe that by purchasing the product they would be contributing to a donation to the Regina Margherita paediatric hospital in Turin, when in fact a donation of 50,000 euro had already been made by Balocco on its own months earlier.
The companies linked to Ferragni allegedly made more than one million euros from the initiative.
Ferragni said her conscience was clear and she had full confidence in the judiciary.
“I am calm because I have always acted in good faith and I am certain that this will emerge from the ongoing investigation,” said the influencer, businesswoman and wife of rapper Fedez.
“I have full confidence in the work of the judiciary and with my lawyers I immediately made myself available to cooperate and clarify every detail of what happened as soon as possible.
“On the other hand, I am deeply disturbed by the exploitation that part of the media is carrying out, even spreading news that is objectively untrue.”
A finance-police report made public earlier Monday focused, among other things, on a series of email exchanges in the documents obtained from the Antitrust’s probe, sources said.
Prosecutors are reportedly also looking at other charity initiatives endorsed by the 36-year-old, including Easter Egg produced by Dolci Preziosi that allegedly earned her far more than the amount donated to the good cause in question.
ANSA
