Renato Soru
| Renato Soru | |
|---|---|
 Renato Soru in 2008 | |
| President of Sardinia | |
|
In office 2004–2009 | |
| Preceded by | Italo Masala |
| Succeeded by | Ugo Cappellacci |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
26 August 1957 Sanluri, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Political party | Democratic Party |
| Alma mater | Bocconi University |
Renato Soru (born 26 August 1957) is an Italian entrepreneur, the founder of the internet service company Tiscali, based in Cagliari. Forbes listed him as one of the world's richest people, with a net worth of over $4 billion (US) as of September 2001.
Early life and career
Soru was born in Sanluri, Sardinia in 1957. He holds a University degree from the Bocconi University in Milan. In 2004 Soru was elected President of the Sardinia Region with the center-left coalition with an audacious program to reinvigorate the economy within the island by introducing external investors, but on 28 November 2008 he resigned from his position. He ran again for President of Sardinia in the February 2009 election but was defeated by the right-wing Popolo della Libertà candidate Ugo Cappellacci.
On 20 May 2008 Soru bought the left-wing newspaper l'Unità.
May 5, 2016 he was sentenced to three years in prison for tax evasion that amounted to about 2.6 million euro and was connected to a loan made by the company Andalas Ldt to Tiscali.
External links
- Bernhard, Marcella, "Forbes Faces: Renato Soru", Forbes, 01.10.01
- Forbes listing from "World's Richest People" (archived 2011)
- Personal profile of Renato Soru in the European Parliament's database of members