Former Finmeccanica chief released from jail

Former Finmeccanica Chairman and CEO Giuseppe Orsi, who faces a trial in June over allegations of corruption in a helicopter deal with India, was released from jail on Saturday, his lawyer said.

Orsi was arrested on February 12 on a warrant alleging he paid bribes to win a 560 million euro contract to sell helicopters to India in 2010, when he was at the helm of Finmeccanica's helicopter unit AgustaWestland.

Orsi, who resigned from the state-owned aerospace and defence group a few days after his arrest, denies any wrongdoing. He was released from jail because the terms that allowed prosecutors to keep him in custody ahead of a trial had expired.

 

Orsi's trial will begin on June 19 after a judge ruled on Friday that there was enough evidence for a procedure to start immediately, legal sources close to the case told Reuters.

In an e-mailed statement, Orsi's lawyer Ennio Amodio said on Saturday that his client had sought to bring order and transparency to a company hit by internal power struggles, and that he was confident truth would prevail at the trial.