Barelli, who also heads the European Swimming Federation (LEN), secured a big win after gaining 83.4 per cent of the vote at body's Elective Assembly.

He is now expected to serve until at least 2020 after being first elected to the post in 1990.

He received 13,811 votes in comparison with just 2,158 for Valentini, while 591 ballots were declared void.

The result remains subject to the outcome of the Lazio Regional Administrative Court, however, following an appeal by the Italian National Olympic Committee (CONI).

CONI's Legal Department claimed the vote violated its arbitration procedures, something denied by Barelli. 

The Italian is a former Olympic swimmer who competed at Munich 1972 and Montreal 1976 and won a 4x100 metres freestyle relay bronze medal at the 1975 World Championships in Cali.

But the 61-year-old Senator from Rome has faced fraud allegations in Italy after claims a sum of $1 million (£720,000/€916,000) allocated to the national governing body to be spent on the pool used for the 2009 World Championships in Rome was unaccounted for.

He strongly denies the claims and has accused CONI secretary general Roberto Fabbricini of slandering his name.

Barelli was re-elected LEN President by a thumping 50-vote margin at a similarly heated Elective Congress in London in May.

He won with 77 of the 104 votes cast against Royal Dutch Swimming Federation (KNZB) President Erik van Heijningen.

Van Heijningen claimed afterwards that the process was "undemocratic".