A deal has been struck between
government partners the 5-Star Movement (M5) and League on
reforming the statute of limitations to stop so many trials
timing out, Deputy Premier and League leader Matteo Salvini said
after a government summit on the issue Thursday.
"Deal found on the reform of the statute of limitations, but
only with certain timeframes, he said.
Salvini said the reform would come into force in January
2020.
"The deal was made in half an hour. I want short times for
trials. The guilty in jail, freedom for the innocent. The norm
will be in the anti-corruption bill but it will come into force
in January 2020 when the reform of the penal process will have
been approved.
"The enabling law, which will end in December 2019, will be
examined by the Senate next week.
Justice Minister Alfonso Bonafede confirmed that the reform
will come into force in a year's time.
He said it would be "part of an epoch-making reform of penal
procedures".
Bonafede said the government would ask to be able to use a
special enabling bill to make the reform.
He said, however, that the reform would stay in an amendment
to the government's anti-corruption bill "which will hit
parliament next week".
Civil Service Minister Giulia Bongiorno said after the summit
that the statute of limitations would be linked to the duration
of trials.
A League appointee, she said there was "full harmony" on the
issue with the 5-Star Movement (M5S), their government partner.
She said work would start "immediately" on reforming the
penal process to quicken Italy's snail-paced justice system.
Earlier, 5-Star leader Luigi Di Maio said that ruling partner
the League must do a deal on a reform to the statute of
limitations or else their government contract would be annulled.
The M5S wanted the statute of limitations to be stopped after
first-instance trials to stop so many people seeing their trials
timed out and the guilty getting off.
League leader Matteo Salvini said he is amenable to a reform,
but not such a drastic one, which he says will lead to "infinite
trials" both for the innocent and the guilty.
Di Maio and Salvini, the two deputy premiers, held the
government summit to settle the disagreement on Thursday
morning.
Also present were Premier Giuseppe Conte and Justice Minister
Alfonso Bonafede.
Meanwhile in parliament there was chaos on the
anti-corruption bill with the opposition centre-right Forza
Italia (FI) party occupying the government benches.
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