"Sardinia is a quiet land, the mafia is not there"
Sicilian, he settled in Cagliari a month after having headed the Agrigento prosecutor's office and having worked in Palermo
In Sardinia there are no longer "kidnappings" but there is still a "certain distorted vision of the balentia". Violence between "minors" and drugs are of concern. In any case, the island is "a relatively quiet reality" where there is no mafia presence, although it is necessary to pay attention to the "alliances between local crime and Calabrian and Campania associations". The criminal system of the Cosa Nostra, on the other hand, "is not immediately exportable" to our parts.
Attorney general of Cagliari for a month, Luigi Patronaggio has a precise idea of the situation of the Sardinian justice. Sicilian, 62, in Palermo and Agrigento (where he was prosecutor until a few weeks ago) he dealt with the murders of Father Giuseppe Puglisi and the journalist Mauro De Mauro as well as the inaction of Totò Riina, Leoluca Bagarella, Gaspare Spatuzza, Giuseppe and Filippo Graviano; appealed the trials of the former governor Salvatore Cuffaro, the former senator Marcello Dell'Utri, the carabinieri Mario Mori and Mauro Obinu; he followed the cases of ships loaded with migrants that cost the then minister Matteo Salvini in one case. Now he says he is "honored to serve Justice in a proud land such as Sardinia. I will put all my experience and energy at the service of the community ».
Prosecutor, what is the main emergency on the island?
"Compared to the Italian criminal landscape, particularly in the south, Sardinia is a relatively calm reality. Law enforcement agencies and the judiciary manage to contain crime episodes. Judicial offices are generally well organized, with some exceptions related to the lack of staff. The trafficking of drugs, even in an organized form and with the cultivation of marijuana plantations, creates social alarm. Urban violence is of concern, with minors increasingly protagonists and, in turn, often victims of crimes via the internet and with a sexual background. We must not forget forms of money laundering, building speculation and illegal activities, especially on the Costa Smeralda and other tourist sites ».
Is there mafia crime?
«No, but beware of certain alliances between the local underworld and the Calabrian and Campania mafia associations. Instead the Cosa Nostra system, whose strength consists in permeating the entire social, political and entrepreneurial reality of a territory, subjugating it with the force of violence and intimidation, fortunately cannot be immediately exported here, where the social fabric is substantially healthy " .
Is there still the danger of kidnappings?
«For years this has no longer been a land of kidnappings and crimes linked to the agro-pastoral world. A certain distorted vision of the “balentia” as a lifestyle and personal attitude remains in culturally backward contexts and at times produces crimes such as robberies of security guards and otherwise unexplainable acts of blood ».
He has followed political cases of national importance. Ever been pressured?
«No, I would have returned them to the sender anyway. Today "bad politics" rather than exerting pressure cultivates preferential channels with the judiciary flattering it with career promises and other benefits. Lobbying is one of the biggest problems ».
He said he was outraged by the fact that those convicted of the Mafia continue to play politics. In some cases the value of the sentences is null?
«The disqualification from public office for crimes of a certain gravity does not deprive political rights and the freedom to express one's thoughts; but it should lead the political world, whose autonomy I respect anyway, to a certain caution in continuing to entrust offices or consult the condemned on the occasion of important electoral appointments. In any case it is an ethical question and not a juridical one ".
Which cases have given you the most satisfaction and regrets?
"I remember the great human and professional emotion for the investigation into the murder of Don Pino Puglisi in one of the most dangerous mafia contexts such as Brancaccio's in Palermo, but also the enormous responsibility in leading the first maxi-trial of the Cosa Nostra in province of Agrigento, which ended with 25 life sentences for some mafia murders such as those of the carabiniere Giuliano Guazzelli and the little Giuseppe di Matteo, son of the collaborator of justice Santino. I tend to forget as soon as the trials I have instructed or celebrated are over, but I am sorry to note that the great thrust of the people and renewal that followed the mafia massacres of '92 and '93 has gradually been exhausted ".
For the judiciary it is a period of serious crisis. Does the reform solve the problems?
«The judiciary must not allow itself to be imposed from outside reforms, which often sound punitive, but must find within itself the moral strength, deontology and efficiency to be and appear authoritative. The Cartabia reform, where it puts in place important economic, IT and personnel resources to shorten the time for justice, goes in the right direction and must be supported with the utmost commitment. I have doubts about the part that penalizes the prosecutor's activity and opens the way to a clear separation of careers, in my opinion a false problem ".
The ANM has decided to call a strike against the reform. Is it a right choice?
"Such a strong contrast between the powers of the State does not seem correct to me, we need to seek dialogue and confrontation in institutional settings in order to make the right choice prevail to render the best service to the citizen / user of justice".
Is the personal file a way to influence you?
«It is a sort of" bogeyman ", in some ways" senseless ", which only serves to appease a part of public opinion. On the other hand, a constructive control activity by General Prosecutors and Judicial Councils can curb anomalous and isolated behaviors of a few magistrates. The most innovative jurisprudence always arises from controversial decisions, as in the 1960s with the civil magistrates who anticipated the enactment of the Workers' Statute. Evaluating the quality of a magistrate on the basis of his conformity to the dominant jurisprudence mortifies the “living law” and does not help society to evolve ».
Those who play politics leave the toga: is it right?
"Yup. As must also do those who collaborate with the Ministries ».
Referendums aim at civil liability.
“The citizen has no concrete advantage from being compensated for a judicial error by the magistrate rather than by the state. Vice versa direct responsibility implies that the magistrate is intimidated in the action and that in the face of a powerful or wealthy accused, he prefers extreme caution to an action in compliance with the constitutional provision according to which "the law is equal for all". The risk is to have a timid and defensive justice, the exact opposite of efficient and just ».
Is it correct to allow the change of functions only once in the career?
«It is a gradual approach to the separation of careers, which I am against. It would be necessary to work for a common cultural formation for lawyers and magistrates so that the roles can be interchangeable, as in the US and Great Britain ».
The times of justice are very long. Is the novelty of imposing a limit useful?
«Imposing temporal stakes, sanctioned in the process, is an unavoidable stimulus for magistrates. However, it should be borne in mind that the delays are not attributable only to prosecutors and judges, with high returns compared to the European average, but also depend on available structures and resources ".
Many believe that prison is being misused.
"The use of pre-trial detention is excessive but often concerns socially dangerous subjects. The prison population is largely made up of immigrants or economically disadvantaged people, prisoners for corruption or economic crimes do not exceed 0.3 - 0.5 percent of the total. The Italian cells are overcrowded and often the living conditions are not worthy of an advanced Western country. However, it is the system as a whole that does not work, it is unable to ensure re-education and social reintegration ».
How long will he stay in Cagliari?
"My intention is to best honor the assignment until the first natural deadline."
He has an escort for being threatened with death. Was the investigation you made worth it?
"Every sacrifice that the profession has imposed on me is always a small thing compared to the honor of serving the country."
Andrea Manunza
