World · Europe · 5 hrs ago
Former RIS commander defends handling of evidence in Garlasco case
Former RIS commander Gianpietro Lago defended the unit’s work in an interview on Italian TV.
The case concerns the 2007 killing of Chiara Poggi in Garlasco, and Alberto Stasi was convicted of the murder.
Stasi’s defence had asked Lago for raw forensic data, which he did not provide when he led the Carabinieri’s scientific investigation unit.
Lago said he followed the rules and would make the same decision again.
He said repeated DNA tests are normal as labs try to get the clearest results.
He said mistakes are possible, but he ruled out a mix-up between the samples from a spoon and bicycle pedals, citing the unit’s procedures and staff.
Lago said he would not have shared negative results, and the sources give no further action following his interview.
Former Carabinieri scientific investigations unit commander Gianpietro Lago defended his handling of evidence in the Garlasco case.
He said he would not have disclosed negative test results and would again have withheld raw data requested by Alberto Stasi’s defence.
Lago said repeated attempts in forensic genetic testing are normal and are used to improve results.
He said mistakes are possible but rejected the suggestion that the laboratory staff acted in bad faith.
- Who
- Gianpietro Lago, former commander of the Carabinieri scientific investigations unit, known as the RIS.
- What
- He defended the unit’s handling of forensic evidence, including withholding raw data and not communicating negative results.
- When
- He spoke in an interview broadcast on 30 October 2026.
- Where
- In an interview on the Italian television programme Quarto Grado.
- Why
- He said he knew the RIS staff and considered them competent, loyal and intellectually honest.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Lago served as commander of the RIS, according to Tgcom24.
Lago defended the RIS’s handling of the evidence in an interview on Quarto Grado.
- Former commander
- Gianpietro Lago
- Unit
- Carabinieri scientific investigations unit (RIS)
- Role period
- 2010–2025
- Interview programme
- Quarto Grado
3 sources
What people are saying
If I had been head of the RIS, I would not have communicated the negative results.
I would absolutely do the same, because I applied the rules rigorously, with consistency and transparency.
The fact that several analytical attempts are made in a forensic genetics laboratory analysis is not at all surprising to me; it is completely normal.
One thing is possible, another is probable.