Gherardo Colombo

"The P2 also wanted Moro's death because it opened the door to the PCI. And Cossiga was powerless."

"The consensus of public opinion was an essential factor in the success of Operation Mani Pulite."

"Since the landing of the Allies in Sicily, and the decision to involve the Mafia to facilitate it, a 'quiet life' relationship has been established with this criminal organisation, which has characterised decades of our history. It was a necessarily occult agreement. And even more occult and opaque has necessarily been its perpetuation. What could it have produced if not blackmail? The blackmail of the criminal powers over politics. Another example of that way of governing the country by compromise, and then by blackmail, is the 'Cirillo case'. Remember? A part of the DC came to an agreement with Raffaele Cutolo's Camorra to free councillor Ciro Cirillo, granting, in exchange, the criminality access to the public resources of the post-seismic reconstruction. And I could go on: Iri's slush funds; the P2..."

"Looking back at Mani pulite, one realises, so it happened to me at least, that if one wants to achieve a result one cannot delegate the commitment to others. Instead, in Italy it was, and still is, in my opinion, as if the other powers had told the judiciary 'You take care of it', instead of committing themselves directly to the common good."

"[On the judicial investigations that led to his removal] I was more upset about the end of another investigation, the one into IRI's slush funds. In the P2 case it was the first time, and I thought it was an accident that could happen. But the next time I was on the verge of resigning."