Prosecutor wants Inter and Milan execs tried

Milan, Sep 24: An Italian prosecutor has asked a judge to order the president of Inter Milan and the vice president of AC Milan to stand trial for possible false accounting, a judicial source said today.

Inter's Massimo Moratti and Milan's Adriano Galliani were placed under investigation in January as part of a probe into suspected false accounting in Serie A football.

A judicial source told Reuters in January that Milan public prosecutor Carlo Nocerino was investigating whether clubs had manipulated their balance sheets by inflating the prices of players they bought and sold.

Both Inter and Milan have rejected any claims of financial irregularity.

The prosecutor also asked for the vice president of Inter, Rinaldo Ghelfi, and the club's former chief executive, Mauro Gambaro, to be ordered to stand trial.

That request, which in Italy does not indicate guilt and does not necessarily lead to criminal charges, will now be examined by a judge.

The Milan prosecutor has questioned whether Inter could have passed the financial tests required to take part in the 2004-2005 Serie A season without improperly adjusting its accounts.

Last September, Rome magistrates called for the president of AS Roma, Franco Sensi, and the former president of Lazio, Sergio Cragnotti, to stand trial for false accounting. Both men denied the accusations.

Other investigations into false accounting are under way in Genoa and Turin.

Reuters>