The Council of Europe is
following a case of judicial cronyism and alleged corruption
that has embroiled the Italian judiciary's self-governing body,
the Supreme Council of Magistrates (CSM), ANSA learned Tuesday.
The council's anti-corruption organ GRECO has asked Italian
authorities for information on the latest developments in the
case, sources said.
Italy's responses were discussed last week by GRECO, the
sources said.
GRECO has decided, they said, "also in light of an evolving
situation and the difficulty of expressing a judgment," to ask
Rome for an update by the end of the year.
President Sergio Mattarella, the titular head of the CSM,
told an extraordinary meeting of the CSM on Friday that he was
alarmed by a Perugia probe into alleged cronyism in the Italian
judiciary.
The meeting of CSM, the judiciary's self-governing body, was
called to appoint two new members following the resignations of
people implicated in the probe.
"Today the CSM turns a new leaf," said Mattarella, the
nominal head of the council, as he chaired the meeting.
The president expressed "great concern" about the
investigation into allegedly attempts to manipulate the
appointments of prosecutors.
He said the probe "revealed an disconcerting, unacceptable
picture" and had "produced seriously negative consequences for
the prestige and authoritativeness of the whole judiciary".
He also called for the CSM to "react firmly to any form of
degeneration".
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
