The ANM in Caltanissetta takes a stand against Scarpinato

After days of awkward silence, the National Magistrates’ Association (though only through its Caltanissetta executive committee, not the national one) has spoken out to express solidarity with Santi Bologna, the investigating magistrate from Caltanissetta who issued the order to close the investigation into the handling of the mafia and public procurement dossier (as part of the inquiry into the 1992 massacres), and who has consequently been the target of attacks by the former public prosecutor, now a Five Star Movement senator, Roberto Scarpinato. The latter has accused Santi Bologna of writing “falsehoods” and of having “effectively lent support to the political bullying” of which he considers himself a victim.

The expressions used by Scarpinato, the ANM in Caltanissetta stated in a note, “go beyond the legitimate exercise of the right to criticise”, “call into question the independence and autonomy of the judiciary, as they suggest it is subject to external control and, in an unacceptable manner, portray differences in judgement amongst magistrates as ideological conflicts within the district”. Therefore, the ANM executive committee in Caltanissetta “expresses its full solidarity and support for colleagues who have become the target of attacks and exploitation, and hopes that the debate on matters of public interest will take place without fuelling mistrust towards magistrates, who are committed to carrying out their work on a daily basis”. The statement represents a rebuke to the former magistrate Scarpinato, while, remarkably, the national ANM has so far remained silent.