Sophia Loren Cleared Of Tax Evasion In 39-Year-Old Case
Sophia Loren, the iconic movie star, has been cleared in a 39-year-old tax case against her.
Sophia Loren, 79, has been officially cleared of tax evasion by Italy’s Supreme Court. Loren served 17 days in jail while she awaited for an appeal in the Italian courts.
The legendary diva called the long awaited decision “a miracle of justice” as Italy’s system is notoriously slow in their proceedings.
The 1974 case was brought against Sophia Loren after she declared less income that year, since her compensation for the Vittorio De Sica’s film The Voyage (Il viaggio), which earned her a David di Donatello nomination, was deferred to the following year.
Due to the deferral, Sophia Loren was in a lower tax bracket and paid less taxes. Officials said she paid taxes on 60 percent of her income when she should have paid a 70-percent rate.
The actress appealed the ruling and left Italy for many years, when she returned in 1982 she had to serve 17 of the 30 days sentence in a low security women’s facility.
To support the slow reputation of the Italian justice system, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of Loren this week, 39 years later.
Sofia Loren was, as is her custom, very gracious considering her reputation suffered from the false charges and said that when, “it seems there is no longer any hope it is still possible justice will be done.”
“A saga that has lasted nearly 40 years is finally over,” Loren said with relief.
“I always look to the future and I leave bad experiences like this one behind me,” she told the La Stampa newspaper.
However, her lawyer was not so understanding and demands an official apology.
Sophia Loren Cleared of Wrongdoing in 40-Year-Old Tax Case http://t.co/9kz8hU8fOA
— Hollywood Reporter (@THR) October 24, 2013
Sophia Loren still acts at 79, and will star in La Voix Humaine (Human Voice), which will be directed by her and famed director Carlo Ponti’s son, Edoardo Ponti.
