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Corruption in Italy reaches "intolerable proportions": justice minister

Xinhua, January 19, 2015 Adjust font size:

Corruption has reached "intolerable proportions" in Italy, the country's Justice Minister Andrea Orlando said on Monday.

"The latest probes have shown corruption has reached intolerable proportions, due to the fact that it is often linked to mafia-type organizations," the minister told the Lower House in his annual hearing on the justice system.

"All this has a devastating impact on economy and citizens," he added.

The minister appealed to all political forces to cooperate in order to improve the system's efficiency, and not make justice "the ground of miserable disputes".

In his hearing, Orlando acknowledged that "the malfunctioning of the judiciary is one of the heaviest burdens on the country's path towards growth".

Despite some changes have been made in recent years, Italy is among countries which have the highest number of pending criminal and civil cases at the end of 2012, the European Union commission said in October.

According to the Italian government, the situation has partially improved. The number of pending civil cases in June 2014 decreased below the threshold of 5 million for the first time since 2009, the minister said.

A limited reform to streamline the civil justice system was also submitted by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's cabinet and approved by the parliament in November 2014. Further amendments to civil procedures and a wider reform of the criminal justice system have been announced, and would need strong support among political parties.

On Monday, Orlando reported on the recent terrorist alert in Europe and how it would impact Italy's judicial system.

"The increasing terrorism threat obliges us to strengthen the mechanisms of prevention and repression. Stricter controls on raw materials that might be used in (terrorist) attacks and more severe measures against foreign fighters will be unavoidable," he said.

Orlando also announced improvements have been made with regards to prison overcrowding. The number of inmates decreased to some 53,600 in December 2014 from over 65,000 in 2013.

The European Court of Justice recently dismissed some 3,000 appeals from people jailed in Italy, Orlando recalled. This would allow the country to save 42 million euros (48.7 million U.S. dollars).

The European Court fined Italy for its overcrowded jails in January 2013 on concerns of human rights. The number of inmates at the time exceeded 68,000 while the Italian prisons' capacity was at 45,000. Endit