Citarella & Ors v Italy - 28466/03 [2010] ECHR 584 (4 March 2010)


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    European Court of Human Rights


    You are here: BAILII >> Databases >> European Court of Human Rights >> Citarella & Ors v Italy - 28466/03 [2010] ECHR 584 (4 March 2010)
    URL: http://www.bailii.org/eu/cases/ECHR/2010/584.html
    Cite as: [2010] ECHR 584

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    Resolution CM/ResDH(2010)181

    Execution of the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights

    Citarella, Votto, Votto Renato, La Fazia, Di Crosta, Massimo Maria Assunta, Cifra, D’Apolito, Puzella and Cosentino, Moroni, Valentini, Fabiano & Furno against Italy


    (see details in Appendix)


    The Committee of Ministers, under the terms of Article 46, paragraph 2, of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, which provides that the Committee supervises the execution of final judgments of the European Court of Human Rights (hereinafter “the Convention” and “the Court”);


    Having regard to the judgments transmitted by the Court to the Committee once they had become final;


    Recalling that the violations of the Convention found by the Court in these cases concern several violations of applicants’ rights throughout proceedings to establish their bankruptcy and/or after the closure of the bankruptcy proceedings, such as the suspension of their electoral rights, the setting of limits to their personal capacity and absence of a remedy to complain of those limits (violations of Articles 3 of Protocol No. 1, 8 and 13) (see details in Appendix);


    Having invited the government of the respondent state to inform the Committee of the measures taken to comply with its obligation under Article 46, paragraph 1, of the Convention to abide by the judgments;


    Having examined the information provided by the government in accordance with the Committee’s Rules for the application of Article 46, paragraph 2, of the Convention;


    Having satisfied itself that the respondent state paid the applicants the just satisfaction provided in the judgments (see details in Appendix),


    Recalling that a finding of violations by the Court requires, over and above the payment of just satisfaction awarded in the judgments, the adoption by the respondent state, where appropriate, of


    - individual measures to put an end to the violations and erase their consequences so as to achieve as far as possible restitutio in integrum; and


    - general measures preventing similar violations;


    DECLARES, having examined the measures taken by the respondent state (see Appendix), that it has exercised its functions under Article 46, paragraph 2, of the Convention in these cases and


    DECIDES to close the examination of these cases.

    Appendix to Resolution CM/ResDH(2010)18


    Information on the measures taken to comply with the judgments in the cases of

    Citarella, Votto, Votto Renato, La Fazia, Di Crosta, Massimo Maria Assunta, Cifra, D’Apolito, Puzella and Cosentino, Moroni, Valentini, Fabiano & Furno against Italy



    Introductory case summary


    These cases concern restrictions of various rights of the applicants, ordered in the framework of the bankruptcy proceedings against them and in particular:

    - limits on their personal capacity: as a result of being automatically registered as bankrupt, the applicants are barred from a number of professional activities (managing agent of a property, stockbroker, auditor, arbitrator, administrator or liquidator of commercial companies) as well as from the rolls of certain professions (advocate, notary, commercial adviser). They may not obtain rehabilitation and thus put an end to these restrictions until five years after the closure of the bankruptcy proceedings. The European Court considered that this interference, based on Article 50 of the Bankruptcy Act, was not necessary in a democratic society (violations of Article 8). Furthermore, concerning this violation, the European Court held that the applicants disposed of no effective remedy (violation of Article 13);

    - suspension of the electoral rights of the applicants for five years counting from the declaration of bankruptcy: the European Court found that this measure, which is applicable to bankrupts even in the absence of deceit or fraud on the sole basis of their insolvency, resulted in the marginalisation of the applicants and had the appearance of a moral sanction. This measure, provided by presidential decree No. 223 of 20/03/1967 and modified by Law No. 15 of 16/01/1992, does not in the Court’s view pursue any legitimate aim (violations of Article 3 of Protocol No. 1, in the case La Fazia);



    I. Payments of just satisfaction and individual measures


    a) Details of just satisfaction


    Name and application number

    Date of judgment

    Pecuniary damage

    Non-pecuniary damage

    Costs and expenses

    Total

    Paid on

    Citarella

    28466/03

    judgment of 15 January 2008

    -

    -

    1.150,00 euros

    1.150,00 euros

    08/07/2008

    Votto

    11/04

    judgment of 16 October 2007

    -

    -

    2.000,00 euros

    2.000,00 euros

    04/04/2008

    Votto Renato

    4733/04

    judgment of 23 October 2007

    -

    -

    2.000,00 euros

    2.000,00 euros

    14/05/2008

    La Fazia

    4910/04

    judgment of 16 October 2007

    -

    1.500,00 euros

    2.000,00 euros

    3.500,00 euros

    04/04/2008

    Di Crosta

    38823/04

    judgment of 13 November 2007

    -

    -

    2.000,00 euros

    2.000,00 euros

    30/04/2008

    Massimo Maria Assunta

    11000/05

    judgment of 10 March 2009

    -

    -

    1.150,00 euros

    1.150,00 euros

    04/08/2009

    Cifra

    26735/05

    judgment of 10 March 2009

    -

    -

    2.000,00 euros

    2.000,00 euros

    22/09/2009

    D’Apolito

    33226/05

    judgment of 10 March 2009

    -

    -

    2.000,00 euros

    2.000,00 euros

    22/09/2009

    Puzella and Cosentino

    38264/05

    judgment of 10 March 2009

    -

    -

    1.150,00 euros

    1.150,00 euros

    04/08/2009

    Moroni

    40261/05

    judgment of 10 March 2009

    -

    -

    2.000,00 euros

    2.000,00 euros

    04/08/2009

    Valentini

    40664/05

    judgment of 10 March 2009

    -

    -

    2.000,00 euros

    2.000,00 euros

    04/08/2009

    Fabiano

    40807/05

    judgment of 10 March 2009

    -

    -

    2.000,00 euros

    2.000,00 euros

    04/08/2009

    Furno

    40824/05

    judgment of 10 March 2009

    -

    -

    2.000,00 euros

    2.000,00 euros

    04/08/2009


    b) Individual measures


    No individual measure is necessary as the restrictions on the applicants were lifted by the reform of bankruptcy law of 2006.



    II. General measures


    Legislative Decree No. 5/2006, adopted in January 2006 has resolved the questions raised in the Court’s judgments in these cases. Article 152 of this decree has repealed the provisions concerning the suspension of electoral rights and Article 47 has removed the restriction on personal capacity (for further details see Final Resolution CM/ResDH(2008)45, adopted by the Committee of Ministers in the cases of Albanese, Campagnano and Vitiello against Italy, on 25 June 2008).


    III. Conclusions of the respondent state


    The government considers that no individual measures are necessary in these cases, that the general measures adopted will prevent similar violations and that Italy has thus complied with its obligations under Article 46 paragraph 1 of the Convention.

    1 Adopted by the Committee of Ministers on 4 March 2010 at the 1078th meeting of the Ministers’ Deputies.


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URL: http://www.bailii.org/eu/cases/ECHR/2010/584.html