The Quirinale in reverse: Nordio acquits Minetti. Mattarella’s staff, after having unloaded the doubts about the pardon on the Keeper of the Seals, corrects itself: «Ask in agreement with the ministry that the judicial bodies ascertain any inconsistencies». It’s the robes who do the investigations…
«There is a conspiracy against the Quirinale». Piero Sansonettidirector of L’Unità (yes, you haven’t noticed but the historic communist newspaper, like zombies, has returned from the afterlife), has no doubts. The deal Minetti it was designed to hit Sergio Mattarella. The authors of the shady maneuver have not yet been identified, but someone is already suspecting that the secret services are involved. Maybe the Russian ones, who have an open account with the President of the Republic, ever since the head of state compared the invasion of Ukraine to that of Czechoslovakia by Hitler.
If the conspiracy exists, however, it seems to me that they fabricated it directly up there on the Hill. Other than fake beards, undercover missions, provocations by foreign powers: Operation Disgrazia is all the work of the sack Quirinale. What if Mattarella he is embarrassed, as they say, he has to thank some of his collaborators.
The weight of the words of the fine jurist
After all, he was the same spokesperson as Mattarella to clarify the contours of the matter on 11 April, when the first controversy began over the provision that canceled the sentences inflicted on the former dental hygienist of Silvio Berlusconi. «The granting of the act of clemency – in favor of which the competent Attorney General of the Court of Appeal expressed himself in a broad opinion – was also based on the serious health conditions of a close family member who was a minor of the Minettiwho requires special assistance and care in highly specialized hospitals.”
Now the concept has been reiterated by a new comment released to the agencies, which underlines the role of the Attorney General. And, as the Quirinalists remind us every day, that curious category of journalists who collect the president’s every sigh, the head of state is a fine jurist, that is, a person who weighs his words. Therefore, if there had been even a very remote suspicion that the operation Minetti was somehow maneuvered from the outside, the ever cautious Mattarella he certainly would not have authorized that note.
The bureaucratic process and the role of via Arenula
Not only that: reading the press release, it is clear that reference is made not only to the health conditions of the child adopted by the couple Minetti-Ciprianibut above all to the broad opinion of the Attorney General of the Court of Appeal. There is no mention of the ministry, of the opinion of Nordio or his collaborators, but exclusively of the green light given by the competent judge to express his opinion on the requests for mercy.
In fact, it is thus confirmed that the role of the ministry, in this but also in other clemency measures, is absolutely marginal, because a via Arenula the only responsibility is to consult the criminal records, to highlight any pending criminal cases, and to send the file to the Prosecutor’s Office, as well as, if the latter is late in responding within the set deadlines, a possible reminder to obtain the response.
The defense of the Ministry against the media fuss
In an attempt to deflect the responsibility of Colle who, as per the ruling of the Constitutional Court, is the only holder of the power of pardon, someone also tried to raise a fuss, claiming that the ministry had failed, in passing the case to the Attorney General, to request investigations abroad. In practice, Nordio and comrades (many exponents of Democratic judiciary) they allegedly “forgot” to order letters rogatory to find out about the couple’s foreign “activities”. Minetti-Ciprianior if in Uruguay the former regional councilor led a reprehensible “lifestyle” (the definition is from the General Prosecutor’s Office).
But, as the ministry points out, the request for pardon is not a criminal proceeding, but rather an administrative act available to the head of state. Therefore, he does not follow the criminal procedure. And for that matter, Nordio does not have the judicial police at its service (which, instead, is under the orders of the prosecutors) and therefore the requests for further information sent to Milan are the same as those formulated in these cases, no more and no less. And if they didn’t like the answers, as they pointed out in court in turn with a note, the ministry and the Quirinale they could send them back and request further investigation. Which didn’t happen.
In conclusion, although there are those who try to imagine plots or misdirections by foreign 007s, the matter arises at Quirinale and develops with a series of journalistic suggestions yet to be demonstrated. Of course, if the information underlying the story is like that of Siegfried Ranucci on the travels of the Minister of Justice, the question does not end there.
