Premier Giuseppe Conte said
Friday that it was time for his government to make a final
decision on reform of Italy's statute of limitations, an issue
that has been causing big tension within his coalition
administration.
"Dialogue, discussion, listening have always been the
watchwords for how I conduct myself as premier," Conte said on
Facebook.
"But the time has come for decisions. The Italian people
expect responses from us, not rows and delays".
Conte was speaking after all of the parties supporting his
government backed a compromise he proposed on the statute of
limitations except for ex-premier Matteo Renzi's centrist Italia
Viva (IV) party.
Italia Viva has led opposition within the government to a
reform drafted by Justice Minister Bonafede, a member of the
5-Star Movement (M5S), which puts the statute of limitations on
ice after a first-instance court ruling and came into force at
the start of the year.
The aim is to stop offenders getting off thanks to their
lawyers' ability to draw out proceedings until the statute of
limitations kicks in.
Renzi argues there is a risk of people getting embroiled in
never-ending trials and the slow pace of Italy's justice system
getting worse.
The reform has also come under fire from judges and criminal
lawyers, as well as opposition parties.
Conte's reform would see the statute of limitations put on
ice only when an first-instance conviction is upheld at the
appeals level.
In Italy's three-tier justice system, convictions are not
considered definitive until the appeals process has been
exhausted.
The row has prompted speculation that Conte's frequently
fractious coalition government could be in danger.
Renzi on Friday dismissed reports IV might pull out of the
ruling majority while giving 'external support' to the
government in votes in parliament.
But he also warned that his party would be ready to leave the
executive at once if Conte no longer wants it, adding that he
did not think the statute-of-limitations compromise has the
necessary support in parliament.
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