An Italian judge dealt a setback to prosecutors investigating the Parmalat fraud scandal by rejecting their demand for a fast-track trial for 32 suspects, judicial sources said.
The judge said investigating magistrates in Milan had not provided enough evidence to justify forcing the 29 individuals and three big financial institutions to face an accelerated trial process, the sources said.
The prosecutors last week requested a fast-track trial for Parmalat founder Calisto Tanzi and other former executives, and for the Italian units of Bank of America and auditors Deloitte & Touche and Grant Thornton, now named Italaudit.
"He's rejected all of the requests," one of the sources said after seeing the judge's 30-page ruling.
Under the accelerated trial procedure, there would have been no preliminary hearings - a stage which can take years to complete - and defendants could have gone to trial as early as April.
Prosecutors will now have to seek more evidence before the suspects can be tried.