Raffaele Lombardo

{{short description|Italian politician (born 1950)}}

{{use dmy dates|date=August 2023}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|name = Raffaele Lombardo

|image = Raffaele Lombardo (cropped).jpg

|order = President of Sicily

|term_start = 28 April 2008

|term_end = 10 November 2012

|deputy =

|predecessor = Salvatore Cuffaro

|successor = Rosario Crocetta

|order1 = President of Province of Catania

| term_start1 = 25 May 2003

| term_end1 = 12 February 2008

| predecessor1 = Nello Musumeci

| successor1 = Giuseppe Castiglione

|order2 = Member of the European Parliament for Italian Islands

|term_start2 = 20 July 1999

|term_end2 = 28 April 2008

|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1950|10|29|df=y}}

|birth_place = Catania, Italy

|nationality =

|alma_mater =

|profession = Doctor

|children =

|spouse =

|residence = Catania, Sicily

|party = MPA (since 2005)

|otherparty = DC (1972–1994)
CDC (1994–2002)
UDC (2002–2005)

}}

Raffaele Lombardo {{IPA|it|raffaˈɛːle lomˈbardo}}; (born 29 October 1950) is an Italian politician. Born in Catania, he was Sicily's president and former member of the European Parliament for the Italian Islands with the Movement for the Autonomies, and has sat on the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.

In 2005, Lombardo split off from the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC) to form the autonomist Sicilian-based Movement for Autonomy (MpA), after he had accused the UDC leadership of being too centralist. In 2008, he was elected as president of Sicily, obtaining over 65% of the regional votes and defeating Anna Finocchiaro of the Democratic Party (PD). On 31 July 2012, he resigned from the presidency because he was under investigation for external contribution with mafia and pork-barrelling, as it appears that he had relationships with some figure of Cosa Nostra. Nevertheless, in the following elections he managed to have his 23 years old son Toti elected in the Sicilian Regional Assembly. On 19 February 2014, he was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for mafia association.{{Cite web|url=https://www.foxnews.com/world/ex-governor-of-sicily-convicted-of-mafia-ties-gets-jail-term-another-ex-gov-already-in-jail|title = Ex-governor of Sicily convicted of Mafia ties, gets jail term; another ex-gov already in jail|website = Fox News|date = 20 March 2015}} In 2022, he was acquitted in the second appeal trial;{{cite news|url=https://www.ilfattoquotidiano.it/2022/01/07/sicilia-lex-governatore-lombardo-assolto-dallaccusa-di-concorso-esterno-e-corruzione-elettorale-nel-secondo-processo-dappello/|title=Sicilia, l'ex governatore Lombardo assolto dall'accusa di concorso esterno e corruzione elettorale nel secondo processo d'Appello|website=Il Fatto Quotidiano|lang=it|date=7 January 2022}} the acquittal was confirmed by Italy's Supreme Court of Cassation in 2023.{{Cite web |date=2023-08-28 |title=Cassazione: manca la prova del patto fra Lombardo e la mafia, respinto appello della procura generale |url=https://palermo.repubblica.it/cronaca/2023/08/28/news/cassazione_manca_la_prova_del_patto_fra_lombardo_e_la_mafia_respinto_appello_della_procura_generale-412582568/ |access-date=2023-08-30 |website=la Repubblica |language=it}}