Italian fashion influencer Chiara Ferragni has appeared before the Milan court for the second pre-trial hearing relating to the case in which she, alongside two other defendants, is accused of aggravated fraud over the misleading charity claims linked to two notorious Christmas cake and Easter eggs promotions.

Assisted by her attorneys, Giuseppe Iannaccone and Marcello Bana, Ferragni appeared at the court’s third criminal section before judge Ilio Mannucci Pacini, for a closed hearing scheduled to make a decision on the plaintiffs and on the type of trial procedure.

Ferragni, who has always proclaimed herself innocent, decided to attend in order to formalise her decision to opt for an abbreviated trial procedure.

“Thank you for your attention, thank you for being here. It’s a difficult phase in my life and I think you’ll understand if I don’t feel like making any further comments, but thank you for being here and let’s move on,” said Ferragni as she left the court building after the hearing.

This is the first time that Ferragni has appeared in person at the Milan court for this much talked-about case. The first hearing, a few weeks ago, was merely procedural. At the end of January, Ferragni had been summoned to trial by deputy prosecutor Eugenio Fusco and prosecutor Cristian Barilli. Also summoned were her co-defendants, former employee Fabio Damato and Francesco Cannillo, president of cereal and chocolate producer Cerealitalia-ID. Alessandra Balocco, CEO of the Balocco confectionery company, was also among the defendants, but she died in August.

Ferragni stated she was planning to attend the hearings out of respect for justice, to refute the charges and prove her innocence. Her attorneys have said she hasn’t committed any crime, and has already settled the civil case, having made donations worth €3.4 million in total. According to the Milan prosecutors, who oversaw the investigation carried out by the Economic and Financial Police Unit between 2021 and 2022, Ferragni allegedly deceived her followers and consumers, and made unfair profits of approximately €2.2 million from the sales of products for which no charity donation was made.

Italian consumer watchdog Codacons withdrew its complaint after reaching an agreement with Ferragni. A 76-year-old lady who had bought several of the Christmas cakes in question did apply to appear as a plaintiff in the hearing but, following an out-of-court settlement, withdrew her application. Two other consumer protection associations, Adicu and Casa del consumatore, had also initiated a claim. The latter has not accepted a settlement agreement worth €5,000. A final decision on the plaintiffs will be made by the judge. The dates of the abbreviated procedure hearings have been set for November 25 and December 19, and sentencing is expected in January.