Antonio Di Pietro

Antonio Di Pietro (born Montenero di Bisaccia, Italy, October 2, 1950) is an Italian Senator and was a magistrate in the team of the so-called "Mani Pulite".

Born to a poor rural family of Molise, very young he went Germany to work as a waiter in a restaurant, to pay for his studies. He graduated in law and was admitted to serve in the Police as an officer. After a few years, he entered the judicial career as an inquiry judge.

Together with other known judges like Borrelli, Boccassini, Colombo and others, he founded the "Mani Pulite" team, which investigated on political bribery.

In this role, he put under investigation hundreds of local and national politicians, starting with all the most important ones, and is supposed to be the one who sent Mr. Berlusconi the famous "warning of investigation" (a formal act to inform a citizen that an investigation is being run about him) while the prime minister was heading an international meeting on police cooperation.

He soon became the most popular among Mani Pulite judges, due to his popular way of speaking (practically, he mainly uses his native dialect, and with a relevant accent, even in official or formal moments).

After the effects of the Mani Pulite investigations disbanded the previously ruling parties (first of all, Democrazia Cristiana), Di Pietro was called by Romano Prodi in his new governing team, as a minister for the Public Works, with competences on all what was primarily object of bribery (all the initiatives financed by the state). Here he tried to impose a controversial project which would have doubled the main national motorway between Bologna and Florence, causing a violent opposition by inhabitants of the interested areas, as well as the embarrassed protest of ecologists, who were politically sustaining Prodi's coalition but could not accept such a plan which would have destroyed splendid Apennine valleys and woods.

It was noted that Romano Prodi had previously been under heavy investigation, run by Di Pietro himself, but had been discharged before any trial.

He later founded the Italia dei Valori (Italy of Values) party, which wanted to keep on fighting against political corruption in Italy.

He came under investigation himself in 1997 about his activities, both in the police and as a judge, but this was considered by most to be a political move.

Quotes

"Dum Romae consulitur, Saguntum expugnatur" (Latin: "While in Rome they are discussing, the town of Saguntum is being captured")

"As a bricklayer I tried to build my walls straight, as a policeman I tried to arrest criminals, and as a judge I tried to bring people to trial when there was good reason to do so."

"I am no politician and I don't think I'll get into politics. But, could you exclude the possibility that one day you'll get dressed as a woman?" (Dec. 1995)