Carlo Ponti fined $24M

Press, 25 January 1979, Page 9

Carlo Ponti fined $24M

NZPA-Reuter Rome The Italian actress, Sophia Loren, has been cleared in court of currency-smuggling charges, but her film producer husband. Carlo Ponti, was sentenced in his absence to four years jail and fined SUS24M. The Pontis, who have both lived in Paris for several years and were not present during the four-month trial had been accused of illegally exporting from Italy money and art works worth more than SUSIOM. The case, which involved other actors and Italian bankers and financiers, mainly concerned the making of the thriller film, “The Cassandra Crossing.”

Mr Ponti, who is a French citizen, was found guilty of illegally exporting profits he had made from the film.

The State prosecutor had called for a three-year jail term and a fine of 30 billion lire (S33M).

But before the sentences were passed, the prosecutor requested the aquittal of Miss Loren and other actors, including Richard Harris and Ava. Gardner.

Twenty-four of the 27 defendants were acquitted. An Italian banker, Giorio Baldini, was given a 10month suspended jail term and fined SUSI.2M. A West German film company representative, Robert van Dahalen, was given a similar eight-month suspended sentence and fined SUS6OO,OOO.

Last year magistrates put out an arrest warrant for Mr Ponti after a 13-month investigation into his financial affairs. He was not expected to return to Italy. Miss Loren, who was questioned for 10 hours by tax police at Rome Airport in March, 1977, returned to Italy briefly last year after the charges had been laid against her, but was not stopped by the police.