Raffaele Lombardo | |
|---|---|
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| President of Sicily | |
| In office 28 April 2008 – 10 November 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Salvatore Cuffaro |
| Succeeded by | Rosario Crocetta |
| President of Province of Catania | |
| In office 25 May 2003 – 12 February 2008 | |
| Preceded by | Nello Musumeci |
| Succeeded by | Giuseppe Castiglione |
| Member of the European Parliament for Italian Islands | |
| In office 20 July 1999 – 28 April 2008 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 29 October 1950 Catania, Italy |
| Political party | MPA (since 2005) |
| Other political affiliations | DC (1972–1994) CDC (1994–2002) UDC (2002–2005) |
| Residence(s) | Catania, Sicily |
| Profession | Doctor |
Raffaele Lombardo Italian pronunciation: [raffaˈɛːle lomˈbardo]; (born 29 October 1950]) is an Italian politician. Born in Catania, he was Sicily's president and former member of the European Parliament for the Italian Islands with the Movement for the Autonomies, and has sat on the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.
In 2005, Lombardo split off from the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC) to form the autonomist Sicilian-based Movement for Autonomy (MpA), after he had accused the UDC leadership of being too centralist. In 2008, he was elected as president of Sicily, obtaining over 65% of the regional votes and defeating Anna Finocchiaro of the Democratic Party (PD). On 31 July 2012, he resigned from the presidency because he was under investigation for external contribution with mafia and pork-barrelling, as it appears that he had relationships with some figure of Cosa Nostra. Nevertheless, in the following elections he managed to have his 23 years old son Toti elected in the Sicilian Regional Assembly. On 19 February 2014, he was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for mafia association.[1] In 2022, he was acquitted in the second appeal trial;[2] the acquittal was confirmed by Italy's Supreme Court of Cassation in 2023.[3]
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