Fantoni & Nunes – FIGB Sentence: Highlights
Accusation
Fantoni Fulvio and Nunes Claudio are accused of cheating, exchanging unauthorised information. They allegedly showed a high card or a singleton in the suit led, by placing the opening lead vertically on the table, or denied such holdings by leading the card horizontally.
This was done with the aim of changing the results of tournaments and international competitions, including: Bali Bermuda Bowl 2013 (Semifinals Monac vs Usa1 all the match with particular attention to segment 2) Bali Bermuda Bowl 2013 (Final Monaco vs Italy all the match with particular attention to segment 3), EC Opatija 2014 (Monaco vs Danmark, Monaco vs Netherlands, Monaco vs Germany, Monaco vs Croatia, Monaco vs France, Monaco vs England, Monaco vs Poland, Monaco vs Romania, Monaco vs Bulgaria, Monaco vs Ireland, Monaco vs Sweden, Monaco vs Norwey, Monaco vs Island, Monaco vs Russia)
Jurisdiction
The Federal Tribunal is the competent authority because although Fantoni and Nunes are registered with the Monaco Federation, they are also members of the Italian Federation, registered with the Fantoni Vacations ASD in Rome (F0631). It is not relevant that the offence was committed abroad, because there are no regulations about this. This is in line with the Federation’s Appeal Court judgment in the case of Buratti and Lanzarotti for what they did in 2005 in Tenerife. So the authority of the tribunal covers Italian citizens even when the offence is committed abroad.
Proofs
The accusation is proved. On 121 occasions out of 127, the orientation of the opening lead on the table matches with the hand distribution.
This type of signal is unauthorised even if it does not benefit the players who use it.
The Tribunal believes that its decision is based on rigorous mathematical and probabilistic evidence, since the allegations are confirmed in 121 out of 127 hands. In other words, the decision is based on estimating whether the match between the lead position and the hand distribution could be accidental.
This Tribunal believes that the match is not accidental and that it was deliberately sought after by the accused players. This means that they intended to cheat.
Sanctions
The Federal Attorney asked for a total of six years (3 for each WBF and EBL tournament), but this should be reduced because although the signalling occurred on several hands, we consider it an unique offense.
The Tribunal believes that cheating is very serious because it damages the values of fair play and honesty, which all members of the Federation have to follow. Therefore, the Tribunal sentences Fantoni and Nunes to the maximum penalty contemplated in the regulations, which is a three year ban for each player.
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