Chico Forti, the businessman sentenced to life imprisonment in the United States for murder and transferred to Italy last year on a government flight, has been granted permission to work outside prison by the Venice Supervisory Court. Currently detained in Verona, Forti will be allowed to attend a professional pizza-making course, carry out volunteer work with the elderly and teach windsurfing to people with disabilities.

According to Il Gazzettino, the court approved the request submitted by Forti’s lawyers after rejecting a previous bid for parole in September. In recent months, Forti had already been granted limited privileges, including access to prison study rooms and leave to visit his mother in Trento.

Earlier this year, the court had turned down his initial request, citing the absence of clear remorse toward the victim’s family and the lack of any compensation for damages. Forti was convicted in 2000 of murdering businessman Dale Pike and returned to Italy following negotiations between the Meloni government and the US administration.

His arrival, personally welcomed by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at Pratica di Mare airbase, sparked controversy, as did Forti’s claims of receiving preferential treatment in prison. His name resurfaced again after a report suggesting he had expressed an intention to intimidate journalists critical of him, an allegation that has further fueled public debate around his case.