Olivetti Threatens To Sue Ex-Director As Inquiry Opens

On Tuesday, Carlo De Benedetti resigned as chairman, followed by Renzo Francesconi, director-general in charge of finance, administration and auditing at the holding company. Mr Francesconi, who had only been with Olivetti for six weeks, said he disagreed with the way in which Olivetti's first-half results had been presented.

In an interview yesterday, Francesconi claimed he had submitted different interim figures, which painted less flattering picture of the company's financial situation. Olivetti yesterday said Mr Francesconi's comments were