The political and legal drama in Ottana, a small town in Sardinia's Nuoro province, has taken a dramatic turn. Franco Saba, the mayor who won reelection this past June, was transferred to the Badu 'e Carros prison in Nuoro. The stricter detention order was handed down by a preliminary investigations judge following repeated violations of the terms of his house arrest.

Saba had been under house arrest since May 12 on charges of attempted complicity in extortion. Despite these legal restrictions, he ran as the sole candidate in the June 7–8 local elections. Easily clearing the required voter turnout threshold with 60.8% of the vote, he won reelection from inside his home. Shortly after the vote, in an effort to prevent the town council from being placed under temporary administration, Saba appointed his municipal cabinet by sending the official decrees via certified email (PEC).

However, investigators and a subsequent June 26 town council resolution noted that this move violated a strict ban on communicating with the outside world. Prosecutors allege that the mayor held unauthorized conversations with politicians and other external figures while under house arrest.

Though Saba had already been suspended from his official duties under Italy's Severino Law, these alleged communication breaches prompted the judiciary to revoke his house arrest and send him to prison, even as his defense lawyer continues to reject all charges.