'(19 Sep 1995) Italian/Eng/Nat Three of the biggest names in Italian fashion may face charges of bribing tax inspectors. Giorgio Armani, Gianfranco Ferre and Mariuccia Mandelli will go before a Milan court on Wednesday which will decide if there is enough evidence to put them on trial. If convicted, they - and 27 others who face similar charges - could be jailed for up to five years. Last week, the world\'s supermodels were strutting their stuff on the catwalks of Rome with the usual hauteur of the highest paid figures in fashion. At U-S 150 dollars a ticket, Milan\'s ready-to-wear autumn and winter collections came wrapped around Claudia Schiffer and Naomi Campbell. Back stage, however, the dressing rooms were reverberating with fashion\'s latest gossip. Italy\'s first fashion trial. On Wednesday Gianfranco Ferre, Giorgio Armani and Mariuccia Mandelli of Krizia will be taking the stand in the rather less glamorous surroundings of Court No. 5 of the Milan criminal court. The hearing will decide whether there is enough evidence to put Italy\'s fashion elite on trial on charges of bribing tax inspectors. Giorgio Armani - the biggest of the names involved in fashion\'s very own chapter of Italy\'s anti-corruption campaign - is accused of paying U-S 66,000 dollars to tax inspectors to alter their records in 1990. But the undisputed king of Italian fashion, was sticking to business as usual last week. At a dress rehearsal of his Rome fashion show, Armani told APTV he may have temporarily lost control of his finances after his partner died. SOUNDBITE: (Italian) At the time I was struggling to reinforce my own capabilities, to run the company (Giorgio Armani) which I was not that familiar with because up until then I had leaned on my partner Sergio Galeotti. And at that moment that it happened I was really taken and busy in this thing and so I was weak and probably my state of mind was very sensitive. It was trust in others. I trusted other people. I do not want them to blame others but in reality I pretty much trusted them and now I\'m paying the price. SUPER CAPTION: Georgio Armani, fashion designer Despite the whiff of scandal, business is booming. Italy\'s fashion trade has an annual turnover of U-S 20 billion dollars. It is the country\'s third largest export earner and employs around 310,000 people. Most of the models don\'t see a scandal as a threat to their livelihood. SOUNDBITE: I think the designers all have such a great reputation that even with all the bad publicity they\'ve all been through, it\'s never going to hurt their sales. It just makes it more interesting. It\'s like Calvin Klein getting in trouble because he\'s supposedly showing kiddie porn. What is he getting?...Free advertising. SUPER CAPTION: Catherine McCord, model But the scandal has tainted some of Italian fashion\'s most famous names. Santo Versace, brother of Gianni and head of the Versace family fashion empire, and 27 others could also face charges. The finger has also been pointed at Mariuccia Mandelli of Krizia. She is accused of having paid out U-S 198,000 dollars. It is not a charge that she denies. But - she says - it was not corruption but extortion. SOUNDBITE: (Italian) If it was paid it was because they imposed that bribe on us. There is also the mafia in America that puts stores and things under their control. I believe it is an ugly habit of general dishonesty. Do you understand what I mean? SUPER CAPTION: Mariuccia Mandelli, Designer Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/0f434c7011a7516f0276b5269e6c6201'
Tags: Italy , Milan , United States , Giorgio Armani , Rome , Western Europe , AP Archive , naomi campbell , Arts and entertainment , Calvin Klein , GENERAL NEWS , Claudia Schiffer , catherine mccord , Gianfranco Ferré , 14732 , 0f434c7011a7516f0276b5269e6c6201 , ITALY TOP FASHION DESIGNERS MAY FACE TAX CHARGES
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