people-from-palermo

"Li abbiamo fregati con l'emendamento Carrara. Siamo cresciuti e siamo diventati più furbi di loro."

"It is very instructive when the highest offices of state are filled, because the newspapers publish all the names of the figures who have held that office in the history of the Republic, and one realises – because it slips our minds when we see certain faces – that we once had De Gasperi, Einaudi, De Nicola, Merzagora, Parri, Pertini, Nenni... I don’t know, we could make a long list – Fanfani – I mean, you see the whole line-up, then you arrive and see Schifani. There’s an element of originality: the second-highest office in the state, Schifani. [...]"

"It is clear that if the political climate leads, shall we say, to a thaw in relations between the opposition and the new majority, Schifani has had friendships with mafia figures... I do not write that Schifani has had friendships with mafia figures because neither the right nor the left wants it, and what do I have to do with the right or the left? Let them take whatever political stance they wish, but I have to be a journalist. I have to report it; Lirio Abbate reported it in the book he wrote with Gomez, and he is rightly celebrated as a heroic journalist threatened by the Mafia. So, either they have the courage to say that Lirio Abbate is a scoundrel, a liar, or they have the courage to take note of what he writes about the second-highest office in the state, and simply ask the second-highest office in the state to explain those relationships with those gentlemen who were subsequently convicted of mafia involvement; instead, we, unfortunately, are simply following the political climate. If there were a clash, some would say: ‘Oh well, it suits the left, so I’ll write it.’ Today, when not even the left wants to hear about certain things, nobody talks about them anymore: it’s a tragedy."

"Apologising for the intrusion, and without wishing to spoil this fine atmosphere of bipartisan deference towards the new President of the Senate, Renato Schifani, we would like to offer a few biographical notes on the well-known statesman from Palermo who now presides where De Nicola, Paratore, Merzagora, Fanfani, Malagodi and Spadolini once sat. He is not a namesake of the man who insulted Rita Borsellino and Maria Falcone ("they make political use of their surname", sic) because they had protested when Berlusconi described magistrates as “mentally disturbed, anthropologically alien to the rest of the human race”: it is indeed him. He is not a namesake of the author of the unconstitutional ruling which, in 2003, granted impunity to the five highest offices of state, particularly one of them—namely Berlusconi—and verbally attacked Scalfaro in the Senate because he dared to dissent: it is still him."

"Ho messo a fuoco i miei ricordi su Schifani e ne ho parlato ai magistrati perché già prima dell'attentato all'Olimpico sapevo che c'era una trattativa Stato-mafia. Quando ho visto Schifani in televisione e con incarichi politici, mi è venuto in mente che frequentava spesso il capannone di Brancaccio a Palermo dove Filippo Graviano si fermava a fare incontri. Ed ho ipotizzato che Schifani poteva essere l'anello di congiunzione per la trattativa."

"There is nothing worse than trivialisation and generalisation, which, unfortunately, Roberto Vecchioni has fallen into. From such a highly regarded singer-songwriter, we would have expected more profound and less stereotypical assessments, not least given the venue where he delivered his speech."

"(About Cosa Nostra) We are all defeating it, but above all the Sicilians. Consciences and attitudes have changed. Before, there was fear and the code of silence; even obvious facts were denied, and the facts themselves were simply ignored. Of course, we had to pay a huge price with the deaths of people like Judges Paolo Borsellino and Giovanni Falcone. But all this has changed the conscience of the Sicilians."

"The passage of time allows us to view the past with greater clarity and objectivity. It is up to each of us to reflect on Craxi and that dramatic period. He was shown no leniency; he paid more than anyone else for the failings of the entire political system of the time. He was a scapegoat."

"Craxi was a man who knew how to make decisions and with his government – remarkable in itself for its longevity, from 1983 to 1987 – he restored the central role and authority of Palazzo Chigi."

"We are in the final stages of a tax reform. The public is well aware that once it is enacted, there will be no room for clemency."

"[The judiciary] appeals to me most when it engages in a direct and uncompromising fight against the Mafia to dismantle its territorial structure by uprooting its deep-seated, toxic roots. I like it less, however, when certain individual magistrates, following convoluted and nebulous lines of inquiry and relying on statements from state witnesses who speak from hearsay, tend to put forward political theories by conjuring up ghosts from a distant past that allegedly saw conspiracies against the proper functioning of institutions."

"Sarò il garante di tutti, il massimo garante delle regole."

"The Supreme Court’s ruling finally does justice to Mr Previti. It is just a pity that it has taken more than ten years. We are delighted for our friend Cesare Previti and hope that this case will help shed light on the conduct of those who, for purely political reasons, have over the years denied the plain facts and the law."

"[Maria Falcone e Rita Borsellino] hanno offeso la memoria dei loro eroici fratelli. Le due signore, entrambi militanti a sinistra con una disinvoltura che preferisco non commentare, hanno strumentalizzato due eroi civili che, per fortuna di tutti, sono patrimonio della collettività."

"Nel dicembre 1993, mentre ero latitante, incontrai Berlusconi a Milano. Berlusconi sapeva come mi chiamavo. E sapeva che ero latitante da dieci anni. Alla riunione ha partecipato anche mio cugino Salvo e con Berlusconi c'erano persone che non conoscevo. Dovevamo discutere dell'ingresso di alcuni soci nelle società immobiliari di Berlusconi."

"My mission is to restore the truth to history, and I will stop at nothing. It is my mission to honour all those who died, all that tragedy. It is my duty."

"There were, and still are, many fears about speaking out against Prime Minister Berlusconi."

"A Berlusconi ci voglio bene, fino a oggi. È una persona onesta, scrivetelo.[1]"

"Per me Berlusconi era proprio come un parente. La fiducia che aveva in me era pari a quella che io avevo in lui e nella sua famiglia."

"Berlusconi ha assunto Mangano, gliel'ho presentato io, è verissimo, tra tante persone che c'erano in concorso per quella posizione, e ai quali Berlusconi ha addirittura affidato la casa, e il signor Mangano accompagnava anche i figli di Berlusconi a scuola. Non vedo niente di strano nel fatto che io abbia frequentato in questa maniera il signor Mangano, e lo frequenterei ancora adesso."

"Il fattore Vittorio Mangano, condannato in primo grado all'ergastolo, è morto per causa mia. Mangano era ammalato di cancro quando è entrato in carcere ed è stato ripetutamente invitato a fare dichiarazioni contro di me e il presidente Berlusconi. Se lo avesse fatto, lo avrebbero scarcerato con lauti premi e si sarebbe salvato. È un eroe, a modo suo."

"Le prove dei rapporti tra Stato e Mafia? Purtroppo Mangano."

"Per quanto riguarda Mangano, che non era uno stalliere, era il fattore che avemmo ad Arcore con tutta la sua famiglia, madre, moglie e due figli che lui accompagnava all'asilo tutte le mattine insieme ai miei bambini, era una persona che con noi si è comportata benissimo. Poi ha avuto delle disavventure nella vita che lo hanno messo un po' in mano ad una organizzazione criminale. Lui eroicamente, sono d'accordo con Dell'Utri, pur essendo così malato non inventò mai nessuna cosa contro di me e lo lasciarono andare il giorno prima della sua morte. Stava morendo in carcere, ben quindi dice Dell'Utri nel considerare eroico un comportamento di questo genere."

"Berlusca mi ha chiesto questa cortesia... per questo è stata l'urgenza..."

"Lo dicono tutti che frequentavo Berlusconi... Più che io era mio cugino che lo frequentavaLo dicono tutti che frequentavo Berlusconi... Più che io era mio cugino che lo frequentava."

"[Al camorrista Umberto Adinolfi, il compagno d’ora d’aria in prigione] Noi eravamo a testimoniare nel processo di Dell’Utri nel 2009. Perché si preoccupava. Dice: se questo parla a me mi arrestano subito. Umbè, ha fatto tutte cose così. Ora a me non mi interessa più niente."

"[Parlando al procuratore aggiunto Giuseppe Lombardo] Negli anni '70 mio nonno aveva messo i soldi nell’edilizia al nord. Il contatto è col signor Berlusconi, glielo dico subito."

"No one has shown us this conversation. If it existed, we would need to listen to it to verify Graviano’s actual words. In any case, he knew he was being recorded and may have been misleading us. I am not aware of any meeting between Berlusconi and Graviano or anyone directly or indirectly linked to him. Let alone with one of his well-known cousins."

"I told Graviano that we were taking on a few deaths that weren’t ours, but he told me it was good that we were taking these deaths on, so that "those who need to move will get a move on"."

"Even someone like Graviano has the chance, through active repentance, to reveal the truth. If only to give a better future to that child he fathered within the prison walls, and to help him escape the spiral of violence and bloodshed in which Cosa Nostra often entangles the children of mafiosi."

"After 26 uninterrupted years in prison, Mr Graviano has suddenly made statements clearly aimed at securing procedural or prison benefits by inventing meetings, figures and episodes that are implausible and untrue. One can, among other things, perfectly understand the deep animosity towards President Berlusconi for all the laws enacted by his governments specifically against the Mafia. Obviously, all appropriate legal action will be taken before the judicial authorities."

"I focused my recollections on Schifani and spoke to the magistrates about him because, even before the attack at the Olimpico, I knew there were negotiations between the state and the Mafia. When I saw Schifani on television and in political office, it occurred to me that he used to frequent the warehouse in Brancaccio, Palermo, where Filippo Graviano would stop to hold meetings. And I surmised that Schifani could be the link in the negotiations."

"In 1997, years before I began cooperating, during an investigative interview with the then national anti-Mafia prosecutor Pierluigi Vigna and with Piero Grasso, I said, "Keep an eye on Milano 2". We were about to say goodbye and I felt I had to say something, even though I wasn’t a turncoat yet. I intended to give a hint, in a subtle way, as I had done regarding the theft of the 126 used in the Via D’Amelio massacre.[2]"

"I told Graviano that we were taking on a few deaths that weren’t ours, but he told me it was good that we were taking these deaths on, so that "those who need to move will get a move on"."

"If I have placed my life in the hands of evil, why should I not lose it for the sake of good? I ask forgiveness for the wrong I have done."

"My repentance is the culmination of a wonderful spiritual journey that began thanks to the chaplain at Ascoli Piceno prison. I found myself at a crossroads: choosing God or the Mafia."

"[Sull'omicidio del giornalista Mauro De Mauro] Lo strangolarono Stefano Giaconia ed Emanuele D'Agostino."

"Lo sguardo di chi muore sempre quello è. Pensi: è arrivato il mio momento. Quello sguardo l'ho avuto tante volte anch'io."

"Gli dissi [a Giovanni Falcone] che i mafiosi erano preoccupati perché non c'era più Carnevale. Carnevale era la nostra roccaforte in Cassazione. È incredibile che faccia ancora il giudice."

"Falcone lo seguivamo da vicino, era temuto e ammirato dai mafiosi. Aveva il coraggio dell'intelligenza. Diverso da tutti"

"Ci fu un momento in cui Stefano Bontade avrebbe voluto uccidere Totò Riina e così lo convocò nella sua villa ma il capo di Cosa Nostra inviò al suo posto Raffaele Ganci. Appena il cancello si chiuse, Bontade raggiunse la macchina convinto di trovarsi di fronte Totò Riina. Vedendo Ganci rimase molto deluso. E questo ultimo riferì poi che tutto era pronto per l'agguato: in giardino infatti c'erano almeno 15 persone."

"(About the murder of the investigative journalist Mauro De Mauro) The three Grado brothers, having been close to Stefano Bontate and well-connected within the criminal underworld, may be aware of details regarding his disappearance and the location where the body was buried."

"Ci fu un momento in cui Stefano Bontade avrebbe voluto uccidere Totò Riina e così lo convocò nella sua villa ma il capo di Cosa Nostra inviò al suo posto Raffaele Ganci. Appena il cancello si chiuse, Bontade raggiunse la macchina convinto di trovarsi di fronte Totò Riina. Vedendo Ganci rimase molto deluso. E questo ultimo riferì poi che tutto era pronto per l'agguato: in giardino infatti c'erano almeno 15 persone."

"(To Giulio Andreotti) In Sicily, we’re in charge, and if you don’t want to wipe out the Christian Democrats completely, you’ll have to do as we say. Otherwise, we’ll take away not only Sicily’s votes, but also those from Reggio Calabria and the whole of southern Italy. You can only count on the votes from the North, where everyone votes Communist – just accept that."

"Finally, I had followed the surprising career of Piersanti Mattarella [brother of the Italian President Mattarella]. His career developed in the shadow of his powerful father Bernardo, who was a minister several times and a great collector of votes and friendships, some of which were compromising, in Castellammare del Golfo, in western Sicily, home to the most ruthless mafia. [...] We must not betray our origins if they have brought us privileges and benefits. And Piersanti had unfortunately forgotten that he was the eldest son of Bernardo and his vows."

"Thank you very much Mr President (Xi Jinping) for such a warm and friendly welcome. I am delighted to meet you again. I have wonderful memories of my first visit to China, seven years ago, and of your visit to Italy five years ago. I am still grateful to you for visiting my Region, Sicily. I considered it a gesture of friendship for which I am grateful to you. When we met in Rome you asked me to return to China in the year we celebrated 50 years of diplomatic relations. Unfortunately what happened later with the pandemic, with the suffering we all suffered, prevented us from doing so. But since friendship is also about remembrance, it is about keeping commitments and keeping promises, I am happy to be here again in China to reaffirm our friendship, our desire for growing cooperation."

"War is a voracious monster, never satiated."

"Peace does not impose itself automatically, by itself, but is the result of the will of men."

"The Council of Europe has always had the vocation of being the “common European home” and has been able to develop his vocation in the decades since its creation, as its current broad representation testifies. A home that, if it has been a faithful mirror of the divisions and difficulties between the different national communities, has also been able to be, above all, an expression of Europe’s courage for unity, often foreshadowing what could later be built, in other respects and in other areas, such as the European Union."

"What more could I ask on earth than to be your friend, to be your only friend? All my happiness I owe to you all that is lacking from my happiness is my fault, alone, and I blame only myself for all that troubles me. If I am no longer young, if I have none of the gifts or graces that might have made your home a happy one, if I have been unable to bring any pleasure to your life, I must attribute it to my ill fortune. And so, if I cannot but regret, I only regret what I cannot do for you. It has been the thorn in my happiness that I could not help you; but alas, the feeling of all that is lacking in me, of all that has been wanting, and will always be wanting only increases my adoration and gratitude."