act on processes at risk. Nordio’s isolation on justice – Corriere.it

At the end of the Council of Ministers, when Giorgia Meloni announces the imminent approval of the decree correcting a sentence of the Court of Cassation “to prevent serious crimes from being punished”, the Minister of Justice Carlo Nordio appears more and more alone. Because the words used by the prime minister follow those used three days ago by the undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano to deny that the government had any intention of changing the external competition into a mafia association as Nordio himself had repeatedly stated publicly.

«I don’t feel alone at all. Just not at all. On the contrary», assures the Keeper of Seals to those who, in these hours, call him, stop him, discuss us. «I have received a lot of support and compliments», he reports. But he also explains that loneliness is not always an enemy for those who are convinced of their ideas: “The battles you believe in are fought with the best company: your conscience”.

It does not identify itself in the evangelical motto Nemo propheta in patria. With irony he assures that he was also called “by Isaiah”. But he is also convinced that his sentences on the need to typify the norm, pronounced in a round table and reiterated in an interview with the Courierhave been the subject of «exploitation not only of the press but also of political colleagues. Indeed, somehow she “expected it”. And, to avoid it, he had specified that such a modification was not foreseen in the government programme.

“But then why say that? And why now?» they wonder in Meloni’s party which had to struggle quite a bit to get Silvio Berlusconi to digest Nordio and now finds maximum support to the same Nordio own among the exponents of Forza Italia. The party led by Antonio Tajani is in fact determined to use the words of the Minister of Justice on the crime-non-crime to relaunch the battle against the special anti-mafia rules. Behind a curtain of juridical appreciations and affectionate acknowledgments to the lack of political shrewdness – “He is a pure does not understand politics», «The timing is wrong», «Love the legal paradox» – in reality the internal annoyance within FdI is hidden for the accusations that have hit the government and Giorgia Meloni of wanting to dismantle the anti-mafia legislation, right next to theanniversary of the Via D’Amelio massacre.

On this the minister has repeatedly replied: «It’s what I’ve been writing for 20 years. I can’t deny myself.” And, moreover, most of his party colleagues acknowledge his good faith and absolute incapacity to carry out political manoeuvres: to put an issue into circulation to weaken someone or to see the effect it has.

At the moment, however, the line dictated by Meloni and Mantovano remains on the table: «A rule of authentic interpretation, which clarifies once and for all what should be understood by “crimes of organized crime” and which prevents serious crimes from going unpunished as a result of the interpretation recently advanced by the Court of Cassation”. Also because – government sources explain – this is the less suitable moment to attract new criticisms in matters of justice.

The interview which took place on 13 July at the Quirinal between the president Sergio Mattarella and the premier, while the clash between the majority parties and the magistrates was raging, was centered on the need to tone down and rethink the changes to the abuse of office whose elimination is out of the European agreements. «Cordial and constructive meeting», Colle defined it and Meloni has no intention of going out of line nor of seeing shadows lengthen on his declared fight against the mafia. For this he has claimed the presence of him in via D’Amelio tomorrow, «I’ve always gone there and I will go there». And for this he wanted – despite Mantovano having already said it – to attribute to himself the paternity of the decree of authentic interpretation on the crime of organized crime. Meloni wanted to specify that the law was passed “in agreement with the Minister of Justice”. Obvious statement but not obvious.

In the evening the staff of the Minister of Justice filtered the “satisfaction” of the ministerbecause “it demonstrates that if the norm does not exist, the law is fluctuating». Peace made? Until the next sortie.

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