Mafia, clash in the government on external competition. Mantovano brakes Nordio: “I wouldn’t reopen other speeches, changing it is not under discussion”

It is a clash in the government on external competition. After the release of the Minister of Justice Charles Nordio to change the external competition into a mafia association (“It’s an evanescent crime, an oxymoron. It needs to be remodulated”), now it’s up to the right arm of Giorgia Meloni at Palazzo Chigi, Alfredo Mantovano, intervene to restore order and curb the intentions of the minister. “Modifying the crime of external competition into mafia association is not a topic under discussion, the government will not take any step back in the fight against organized crime. There are other priorities” says Mantovano al Everyday occurrence. Then speaking to Askanews.it, the undersecretary to the Prime Minister adds: “I would not reopen other speeches, jurisprudence on external competition is consolidated”, while attention should be paid to the “very recent” sentence of the Court of Cassation which “challenges the concept of organized crime”.

The case has sparked controversy and alarm, especially among the families of victims of the mafia. “A slap to the memory and work of Giovanni Falcone. A tombstone on the fight against the mafia,” he commented Mary, the sister of the judge killed in Capaci. Also critical Salvatore Borsellinobrother of Paul. “Dismantling the external competition in mafia association, as announced by the Minister of Justice Carlo Nordio, means openly disavowing the legislation desired by Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino – observes the brother of the magistrate killed with the escort agents on 19 July 1992 – Weakening the external competition means hitting our martyrs, those that the right-wing government says it wants to commemorate. And this is yet another sign of a very serious attack on the independence of the judiciary and on the search for truth”.

Mantovano specifies again to Askanews.it: “I would address the problems determined by today’s jurisprudence” and “in the direction of making the matter of contrasting mafia crime ever clearer and more incontrovertible. There is a very recent sentence of the Court of Cassation which questions the concept of organized crime. Questioning this notion means creating a certain alarm throughout the system because there are special aggravations, prison benefits, penalties and so on. The United Sections will probably intervene because the sentence is a bit dystonic compared to what was consolidated but before the United Sections intervene, in the meantime, there is considerable disorientation at the level of application of the rules in the courts. So I would deal more with this, I would not reopen other discourses ”.