Three years ago, the prosecutor Tomasso Coletta put forward the case
against Cavalli. The charges: tax fraud, as the Italian tax authorities, the Guardia di Finanza, didn't find that the improvements (a helicopter hangar, the landing pad and a swimming pool) were in any way related to the fashion business.
For the last years the court studied the Cavalli file and this week both a verdict and a sentence are expected.
The world famous Italian fashion designer finds his action totally legal and well justified:
"My house is not my home - it's my workplace, it's my office, it's my imagination and where I have fashion shoots. It's the place where Madonna, Sting, Cindy Crawford and Jennifer Lopez try the clothes that I create. It's where I welcome my most important clients."
The 65 year old designers estate at Pian dei Giullari is worth an estimate $18 million and is home to him, his wife, former top model Eva Duringer and their three children.
If found guilty, the designer faces up to two years in jail. But there is also the possibility of appeal.
MORE RELATED ARTICLES:
Glamour at this year's CFDA Awards
Seriously - a New Fashion Label
London Fashion Week Begins Today
Lenny Kravitz Launches His Own Fashion Label
The Ninth Annual Rising Star Awards Were Presented Last Week in New York
Georgio Armani is a Big Fan Of 50 Cent, Outkast and U2
Valentino Garavani Slams Julia Roberts and Cameron Diaz For Fashion Style
Armani Opened the Paris Haute Couture Week