This topic is taking center stage and the Minister of Agriculture, Francesco Lollobrigida (pictured), is not shying away. “I am amazed – according to his observations – that a judge like Nicola Gratteri, who had and has had a very responsible role, could consider a fake interview to be true. The first thing a judge has to do is verify a crime report. If a judge does not verify an interview he quotes, I feel even worse. I wonder by what criteria he carried out an investigation that put quite a lot of people in prison. By what criteria did Gratteri investigate? A sensational investigation that filled the pages of the newspapers and the news.” We are inaugurating an Apulian restaurant on the central Via dei Gracchi in Rome. There are ministers like Matteo Salvini and Lollobrigida (“I love Puglia” he wanted to show). We are talking about the products of the region, about the complex negotiations between the EU and the Mercosur countries, however, as time goes by, there is not a single region in the Bel Paese that does not discuss the referendum on judicial reform. The verb “separate” and its synonyms, regarding the careers of judges and prosecutors, were at the forefront of the first steps of the referendum campaign, TV talk shows were filled with judges and lawyers and in political speeches the great battles of the spring were the main topic. And like any self-respecting campaign, the injuries suffered by the protagonists generated controversy and comment. That’s the beauty of live broadcasts. Imagine the episode of the main testimony of the “No” front, judge Nicola Gratteri who in the middle of the broadcast presented a completely fabricated interview with judge Falcone – at that time a well-known supporter of the division of roles between judges and public prosecutors – opposing such a separation. Things you wouldn’t believe. Which is sure to amaze everyone. Including a minister. “I hear quotes from interviews that don’t exist – Lollobrigida’s observations –, I hear Falcone and Borsellino’s names used instrumentally. This is not just an insult to memory but it is proof that this referendum can be won and that our reforms are correct”.
Based on circulating opinion polls, this is indeed true. All that remains is a question mark over the number of voters who will actually show up to the polls. No one can know that. This is why the Keeper of the Seal, Carlo Nordio, admitted that the referendum “was a lottery.” But Lollobrigida wasn’t too worried. He was a versatile politician, for many years heading the Fratelli d’Italia organization where he had a special sense of measuring the pulse of the country. I read interviews with people even from PCI, like Petruccioli and Bettini, who agree with career separation. Even my predecessor in the Ministry of Agriculture, Maurizio Martina from Piddino, supported the separation. There is also one on the left wing. guarantor”.
As can be said, it is nothing new for there to be justicialist groups on the right wing. They are the ones that may be missing from the YA crowd. The minister did not deny the problem, but he emphasized that a lot of water flows under the bridge. Traditionally, according to him, we always have a justificationist position within us. Concepts such as state and justice are part of our ethics. I am not ashamed of this even though in some cases we exaggerate in terms of justificialism. It is only when you see certain investigations that have a backdrop of politicization that you understand that justice also needs to be reformed. These are arguments that, if explained, could also convince our society. And to better emphasize his position, Lollobrigida would like to comment.
The reforms we are undertaking, he explained, are not reforms against judges. Let’s be clear. It’s true, we are the ones who defend tough judges, who conduct thorough investigations and make no mistakes in quoting interviews.
