Fiat chairman to stand trial for corruption

The chairman of the Italian car manufacturer Fiat, Cesare Romiti, has been ordered to stand trial for corruption.

Prosecutors allege that Mr Romiti was aware that a consortium which included Fiat paid bribes in connection with contracts for work on the underground railway system in Rome.

No date has been set for the trial, and the BBC Rome correspondent says it could be some time before proceedings begin.

Fiat is Italy's biggest private industrial group.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service