Biography of Judge Giovanni Falcone
Born in Palermo (via Castrofilippo) May 20, 1939, from Arthur, director of the Provincial Chemical Laboratory, and Luisa Bentivegna, Giovanni Falcone graduated in Law from the University of Palermo in 1961, with honors discussing a thesis on ' "Education of proof in administrative law." It was the first since '54, a student of Liceo Classico "Umberto", and then had done a brief stint at the Naval Academy of Livorno.
After the competition in the judiciary, in 1964, was judge in Lentini and moved quickly as a deputy prosecutor in Trapani, where he remained for about twelve years. And here came gradually gaining the inclination and aptitude towards the field of criminal law: as he himself said, "was the objective assessment of facts that fascinated me," in contrast to certain mechanisms "are unclear and Byzantine" particularly accentuated in the field of civil law.
In Palermo, in the aftermath of the tragic attack on the judge Cesare Terranova (September 25, 1979), the Office began work education. Councilor Rocco Chinnici instructor gave him in May 80 investigations against Rosario Spatola, ie a process that also involved U.S. crime, and that, on the other hand, had seen the prosecutor Gaetano Costa - then killed later in June - hampered by some deputies, at the signing of a long series of arrest warrants. Just in this first experience, he felt as in prosecutions and the activities of a mafia it was necessary to initiate investigations and banking assets (including overseas), and how, above all, it was necessary to the reconstruction of an overall framework, a systematic view of the connections, the absence of which in the past had caused the "barrage of acquittals."
On July 29, 1983 Councillor Chinnici was killed with his escort, in Federico Pipitone, Antonio Caponnetto replaced him, who went on the attempt to ensure the most favorable conditions to investigators in the investigation of crimes of the Mafia. It was constituted then, for the internal needs of these investigations, the so-called "anti-mafia pool" on the model of active teams during the previous decade with the phenomenon of political terrorism. Was part of the group, over the same Falcone, Di Lello and Guarnotta and judges, even Paolo Borsellino, who had led the investigation into the murder, in 1980, the Carabinieri captain Emanuele Basile.
Judge Giovanni Falcone can be considered a turning point, not only for knowledge of certain facts of the Mafia, but especially the structure of Cosa Nostra organization, the interrogation began in Rome in July '84 in the presence of the prosecutor and Vincent Geraci Gianni De Gennaro, the core operating Criminalpol of "repentant" Tommaso Buscetta.
The running and Police Giuseppe Montana and Ninni Cassara, close associates of Falcone and Borsellino, were killed in the summer of '85. It was then that he began to fear for the safety also two magistrates. Who were induced, for safety reasons, to stay some time with their families at the prison Asinara.
This led - through these dramatic events - the conviction of Cosa Nostra in the first maxi-trial, issued December 16, 1987 by the Court of Assizes of Palermo, President Alfonso Giordano, after twenty-two months of hearings and trentasci-day meeting in closed session . The order of trial for the 475 defendants had been filed by education in early November of the first two years.
Resented by subsequent events clearly in the negative sense of that success. In January, the Supreme Judicial Council chose to appoint a head of education, in place of Caponnetto that he wanted to leave the Group, Councillor Anthony Meli. Who took upon himself, all the acts. Then came a new episode to accentuate tensions within the Office itself, an episode that had serious consequences on all anti-mafia investigations. Following the confessions of the "repentant" Catania Antonino Calderone, which led to a long series of arrests (commonly known as "blitz Madonie"), the investigating magistrate of Termini Imerese is deemed incompetent, and handed the documents to the Office of Palermo. But Meli, in contrast with the judges of the court, the pool cards Terms since the crimes were committed in that jurisdiction. The Supreme Court, at the end of 88, ratified the opinion of the teacher advisor, denying the unitary structure of criminal organizations and summits, and arguing that these, taken together, have "a broad spectrum of decision-making, work at a local have different and subjective overwhelming diversity. " This decision legally sanctioned the breaking of the investigation, that the experience of Palermo had intended to overcome. Falcone on July 30 requested to be allocated to another office. Apples in the fall gave him the charge of having helped in some way the knight of the work of Catania Carmelo Costanzo, and then broke up the pool, as Borsellino had planned since the summer in a public speech, also censured by the Board of Governors. The judges and Conte Di Lello resigned in protest.
On the rest of this whole affair, in June '92, during a debate sponsored by the magazine in Palermo "Micromegas", Borsellino was to remember: "The arrogance of the teacher advisor Meli disastrous intervention of the Supreme Court began then and continued until today, did not prevent Falcone to continue to work hard. " Despite such events, in fact, always over 88, Falcone had achieved an important operation in collaboration with Rudolph Giuliani, New York district attorney, called "lron Tower" by which families were hit the Gambino and Inzerillo involved in heroin trafficking.
The '89 took place on June 20 failed assassination attempt and obscure dell'Addaura at Mondello, about which Falcone stated, "We are faced with refined minds that seek to guide certain actions of the Mafia. There is possibly the connection points between the vertices of Cosa Nostra and occult centers of power that have other interests. I feel that this scenario is more reliable if you really want to understand the reasons
prompted someone to assassinate me. "immediately followed the episode, shocking, the so-called" crow ", or some anonymous letters directed to accuse himself resentfully Falcone and others. The investigations were carried out also by the High Commissioner for the fight against the mafia , headed by the prefect D. Sica.
A week after the attack on the High Council decided to appoint a prosecutor Falcone Deputy Public Prosecutor of Palermo. In January '90, he oversaw an investigation that led to the arrest of fourteen Colombian traffickers and Sicilian, who had taken the investigation starting from the confessions of the "repentant" Joe Cuffaro 'who had found that Big John Merchant, Chilean flag , was downloaded in January '88, 596 kilos of cocaine off the coast of the Gulf of Castellammare.
During the year we developed the "clash" with Leoluca Orlando, originated from prosecution for libel against the "repentant" Pellegriti, who addressed the allegations MEP Salvo Lima. The controversy continued with the well-known topic of "cards in the drawers" and thought that Falcone result of mere "political cynicism".
At the 1990 election of the members who are judges of the Superior Council of Magistracy, Falcone, was the candidate lists for the "Movement for Justice" and "Proposal 88" (in fact connected), but with negative results.
Meanwhile, the most bitter dissensions fattisi with then-Attorney P. Giammanco - both on the evaluation, on what is ethical in the conduct of investigations - he accepted the invitation of Vice-President of the Council of Ministers, C. Martelli, who had assumed the interim Ministry of Justice, to conduct criminal affairs of the ministry, it is your responsibility to coordinate a vast area, the proposed legislative reforms to the international collaboration. This opened a period - from March 1991 to the death - characterized by intense activity, aimed at making the judiciary more effective action in the fight against crime. Falcone was committed to completing the renewal as it found necessary condition: namely, the rationalization of the relationship between prosecutors and judicial police, and coordination between the various proxies. In this latter respect, the initial hypothesis fall, to entrust the delicate task to the attorney general, the establishment of district attorney belonging to the prosecutors seemed the best solution. But it also put an instance of a coordination of national level. Established in November of '91 the National Anti-Mafia Directorate, the features of this the judge so he stopped even during his hearing at the Palace of the Marshals of 22 March '92. "I believe - he clarified that occasion, according to a published report of the sitting by the weekly" L'Espresso "(June 7 '92) - that the national anti-Mafia prosecutor has the primary task of putting into effect the coordination of investigations, to ensure function of the judicial police and to ensure the completeness and timeliness of investigations. I think this should be a body of support and support for the investigative activity that must be carried out exclusively by the Anti-Mafia prosecutors. "
destroyed the car they were traveling judge Giovanni Falcone and his wife Francesca MorvilloLa his candidacy for these tasks, however, was hampered in the Council of the Judiciary, where the plenum, however, had not yet taken a final decision, when it came Capaci massacre of May 23. Meanwhile - worth remembering - a first ruling of the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Cassation on 30 January, chaired by Arnaldo Valente (Rapporteur Schiavotti) had recognized the vertical structure of Cosa Nostra, and the responsibility of the members of the "dome" for those crimes committed by its members, that require a decision at the summit, had also reaffirmed the validity and importance of the activation of complicity.
Along with Falcone, Capaci, killed his wife Francesca Morvilio, magistrate, and the bodyguards Rocco Di Cillo, Vito Schifani and Antonio Montinaro. Execration of the assassination, on June 4 he joined the U.S. Senate, a resolution (No. 308) to strengthen the commitment of the Italian-American Working Group, of which Falcone was a member.
(Biographical profile from the site of the Fondazione Giovanni e Francesca Falcone) http://www.fondazionefalcone.it/index.html
"A man does what he is doing his duty, whatever the personal consequences, whatever the obstacles, hazards or pressure.
This is the basis of all human morality. "
(John F. Kennedy liked to quote John Falcone often report)
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