Parmalat boss hospitalised: blames others

[Brian Turner]

So far I've not particularly covered news of this extensive - and highly complex - business and fraud story, but I'll finally visit it:

excerpt:

Parmalat head taken to hospital

The jailed founder of the collapsed Italian food giant Parmalat has been taken to hospital in Parma.

Calisto Tanzi, 65, is in intensive care receiving treatment for suspected heart problems, the Italian news agency ANSA said.

"I can confirm he is in hospital but I believe it is for checks," Mr Tanzi's lawyer Fabio Belloni told reporters. The Italian tycoon has been under arrest since December when Parmalat revealed a $5bn hole in its accounts.


He has asked for house arrest on grounds of ill health but his requests have been denied. He is reportedly in the prison's medical ward.

...



Mr Tanzi is reported to be showing willingness to co-operate with Italian authorities.

He has already admitted "diverting" 500m euros from Parmalat to help fund a travel company, partly run by his daughter, Francesca Tanzi. He has, however, denied any role in covering up the losses, pointing the finger of blame at top managers instead.


http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/3498835.stm