Dolce, Gabbana Ruling Expected Wednesday

MILAN — A verdict in the tax trial of Domenico Dolce, Stefano Gabbana and five others is expected Wednesday after the prosecutors and defense make any final statements.

On Friday, the designers’ accountant, Luciano Patelli, one of the defendants, exercised his right to offer a statement as his lawyers asked the court for his full acquittal. After citing his experience of more than 30 years as a consultant with high-profile firms and publicly listed conglomerates and his lessons on fiscal law at the Academy of Italy’s police force Guardia di Finanza, Patelli lamented how prosecutor Gaetano Ruta “tried to discredit” him despite his continuous “full respect of the laws” by accusing him of slashing Dolce & Gabbana’s fiscal costs.