Justice, Italian Style

This week, an Italian court in Milan handed down the sentence for former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s tax-fraud conviction.  In case you missed it, the sentence was 4 hours of community service a week for one year…a total of 208 hours “working” at a Milan nursing home.  

The sentencing guideline for his level of tax fraud calls for four years in prison.

The response from supporters was predictable, “After his two decades of service to the nation, it would have been a sin to give him anything more harsh.”

The response from political opponents was equally predictable.  Members of the Italian parliament brought photos of Berlusconi onto the floor, tore them up, and threw them like confetti all over the chamber.  Their remarks got so heated, Berlusconi supporters crossed the aisle and got into a shoving match with opponents.

Just days before the Milan court handed down the sentence, Berlusconi met with the President of the Republic and freely admitted they had discussed his pending sentence.  At the time of the sentencing, the judge said a harsher sentence was inappropriate given Berlusconi’s age…77 years.  

Yeah, right!  That was the reason for the slap on the wrist.

Compare what happened to Berlusconi to what happened to the UW’s favorite exchange student…

…Amanda Knox.

An Italian appeals court had overturned her initial conviction for lack of evidence.  There’s no ban on double jeopardy in Italy, so she was tried for the same murder a second time in Italy’s highest court and convicted again…based upon the same evidence that was ruled insufficient after her first trial.

Her sentence was 28 ½ years in prison…not exactly a slap on the wrist.

A week after her sentence was handed down, the Italian Justice Minister initiated an investigation of the judge who issued the verdict and handed down the sentence…for improper conduct in the case.

If you are wondering what’s going on with the Italian justice system, we have a recommendation for you.  

Photo courtesy Random House

Try reading Donna Leon’s series of mysteries based upon the Venetian police detective Guido Brunetti.

Make sure to start with the first book and work your way through them, since the characters develop over time.  There are now 22 novels in the series.  

They paint a vivid...and we believe accurate...picture of how the Italian justice system functions (it would be improper to say, “how the Italian justice system works.”)  

The novels have been published in 14 languages…but never in Italian…nor are they available in Italy.

Justice, Italian Style.