"Mani Pulite began as a simple police operation in a case of extortion. Thanks to a fortunate combination of circumstances and the intelligence and determination of Judge Di Pietro, it developed to the point of involving an entire political class. The mechanism that had protected the system of corruption until then had two pillars. The first was the belief that everyone did it and that therefore the laws had essentially fallen into disuse and only fools still felt bound by them. The second was the certainty that if, by chance, someone fell into the clutches of the law, powerful friends would protect them or, at least, compensate them. Di Pietro and his colleagues succeeded in subverting these two pillars."
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Mani pulite
Mani pulite (from Italian: clean hands) was a nationwide judicial investigation into political corruption in Italy held in the early 1990s, resulting in the demise of the First Italian Republic and the disappearance of many political parties. Some politicians and industry leaders committed suicide after their crimes were exposed.
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