In Italy, the Milan public prosecutor’s office officially opened an investigation against the influencer Chiara Ferragni on Monday. According to the investigators, this is about suspicion of unfair competition.
The 36-year-old is said to have enriched herself personally by selling a Christmas cake nationwide for a supposedly good cause. The Italian antitrust authorities have therefore imposed a fine of more than one million euros on Ferragni. The manufacturer of the cake also has to pay a fine of several hundred thousand euros. If there is a trial, the Ferragni case could cost even more.
Ferragni said on Monday evening about the investigation: “I am calm because I have always acted in good faith. I am sure that the ongoing investigations will also reveal this.” At the same time, she accused the media of spreading “objectively untrue news.” Because of the allegations, advertising partners such as the beverage company Coca-Cola distanced themselves from her. The Italian is one of them She is also one of the best-known influencers internationally who earn a lot of money by marketing products on the Internet. She has almost 30 million followers on her Instagram account.
The 36-year-old, who is married to the Italian rapper Fedez, had already shared an apology video on Instagram shortly before Christmas. In it she spoke of a “communication error” and announced that she wanted to avoid such “misunderstandings” in the future. At the same time, she announced a donation of one million euros for a children’s cancer ward in Turin. When she sold the cake, she was led to believe that a large portion of the proceeds would go to this cancer ward. In fact, the hospital didn’t get a cent from her. (dpa)