Pietro Scaglione
Encyclopedia
Pietro Scaglione was an Italian
magistrate
and Chief Prosecutor of Palermo
(Sicily
). He was killed by the Mafia
in 1971.
, he was responsible for the repression of the Mafia after the First Mafia war and the Ciaculli massacre
on June 30, 1963. Their efforts were largely undone by lenient sentences of the court in Catanzaro at the so-called Trial of the 114.
On May 5, 1971, Scaglione was killed with his driver Antonino Lo Russo, when he returned from his daily visit to the tomb of his wife at the Cappuccini cemetery in Palermo. It was the first time since the end of World War II that the Mafia had carried out a hit on an Italian magistrate. The police rounded up 114 Mafiosi who would be tried in the second Trial of the 114.
, Pietro D’Accardio, Gerlando Alberti
and his son, Francesco Russo, Salvatore Riina
, Luciano Leggio
and Giuseppe Calò
were not brought before the court by the prosecution for lack of sufficient proof.
During his long career in the judiciary Scaglione was involved in some of the unsolved political mysteries that tainted post-war Italy. He was the last one to have interrogated Gaspare Pisciotta
, the right-hand man of the Sicilian bandit Salvatore Giuliano
, held responsible for the Portella della Ginestra massacre
on May Day
1947 to impede the advance of communist and peasant movement.
He was also the last one to have seen the journalist Mauro De Mauro
, who disappeared in September 1970 following his investigations on the mysterious death of Enrico Mattei
and on the Golpe Borghese
, a right wing coup attempt. De Mauro was allegedly murdered by the Mafia to cover up these events and possible political connections. Some observers claim Scaglione had been involved to keep these mysteries under wraps. Recent historical research, however, describes Scaglione as an honest judge.
) Tommaso Buscetta
the murder of Scaglione had three objectives: to remove a troublesome prosecutor, to bring heat on two rival Mafiosi who were being tried by Scaglione and who might be thought culpable, and to create the suspicion that Scaglione had collaborated with the Mafia. Another pentito, Antonio Calderone, suggested that Scaglione’s assassination was the Mafia’s way of asserting its return to potency after the Catanzaro trial, during which it had been quiet.
It is now generally assumed that the killing was ordered by Mafia boss Luciano Leggio
, head of the Corleonesi
, because Scaglione had sent one of Leggio’s sister into internal banishment from Corleone for aiding and abetting her brother who was a fugitive at the time. According to Buscetta it was Leggio himself who killed Scaglione with the help of Salvatore Riina
. Leggio would later be tried twice for killing Scaglione but was acquitted for insufficient evidence.
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
magistrate
Magistrate
A magistrate is an officer of the state; in modern usage the term usually refers to a judge or prosecutor. This was not always the case; in ancient Rome, a magistratus was one of the highest government officers and possessed both judicial and executive powers. Today, in common law systems, a...
and Chief Prosecutor of Palermo
Palermo
Palermo is a city in Southern Italy, the capital of both the autonomous region of Sicily and the Province of Palermo. The city is noted for its history, culture, architecture and gastronomy, playing an important role throughout much of its existence; it is over 2,700 years old...
(Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
). He was killed by the Mafia
Mafia
The Mafia is a criminal syndicate that emerged in the mid-nineteenth century in Sicily, Italy. It is a loose association of criminal groups that share a common organizational structure and code of conduct, and whose common enterprise is protection racketeering...
in 1971.
Fighting the Mafia
Scaglione graduated in law at the University of Palermo in 1927. After a career in the judiciary, he became Chief Prosecutor of Palermo in April 1962. As such, together with the head of the investigative branch of the prosecution office Cesare TerranovaCesare Terranova
Cesare Terranova was a magistrate and politician from Sicily notable for his anti-Mafia stance. From 1958 until 1971 Terranova was an examining magistrate at the Palermo prosecuting office. He was one of the first to seriously investigate the Mafia and the financial operations of Cosa Nostra. He...
, he was responsible for the repression of the Mafia after the First Mafia war and the Ciaculli massacre
Ciaculli massacre
The Ciaculli massacre on 30 June 1963 was caused by a car bomb that exploded in Ciaculli, an outlying suburb of Palermo, killing seven police and military officers sent to defuse it after an anonymous phone call. The bomb was intended for Salvatore "Ciaschiteddu" Greco, head of the Sicilian Mafia...
on June 30, 1963. Their efforts were largely undone by lenient sentences of the court in Catanzaro at the so-called Trial of the 114.
On May 5, 1971, Scaglione was killed with his driver Antonino Lo Russo, when he returned from his daily visit to the tomb of his wife at the Cappuccini cemetery in Palermo. It was the first time since the end of World War II that the Mafia had carried out a hit on an Italian magistrate. The police rounded up 114 Mafiosi who would be tried in the second Trial of the 114.
Murder still unsolved
No one has ever been convicted for the killing of Scaglione and his driver. In January 1991, the suspects Gaetano FidanzatiGaetano Fidanzati
Gaetano Fidanzati is a historical boss of the Sicilian Mafia. He is the boss of the Resuttana mandamento in Palermo. He was on the "most wanted list" of the Italian Ministry of the Interior since 2008, until his arrest on December 5, 2009....
, Pietro D’Accardio, Gerlando Alberti
Gerlando Alberti
Gerlando Alberti , also known as "U Paccarè" is a member of the Sicilian Mafia. He belongs to the Porta Nuova family in Palermo headed by Giuseppe Calò...
and his son, Francesco Russo, Salvatore Riina
Salvatore Riina
Salvatore "Totò" Riina is a member of the Sicilian Mafia who became the most powerful member of the criminal organization in the early 1980s. Fellow mobsters nicknamed him The Beast due to his violent nature, or sometimes The Short One due to his diminutive stature...
, Luciano Leggio
Luciano Leggio
Luciano Leggio was an Italian criminal and leading figure of the Sicilian Mafia. He was the head of the Corleonesi, the Mafia faction that originated in the town of Corleone...
and Giuseppe Calò
Giuseppe Calò
Giuseppe 'Pippo' Calò is a member of the Sicilian Mafia. He was referred to as the "Mafia's Cashier" because he was heavily involved in the financial side of organized crime, primarily money laundering....
were not brought before the court by the prosecution for lack of sufficient proof.
During his long career in the judiciary Scaglione was involved in some of the unsolved political mysteries that tainted post-war Italy. He was the last one to have interrogated Gaspare Pisciotta
Gaspare Pisciotta
Gaspare Pisciotta was a companion and close friend of the Sicilian bandit Salvatore Giuliano, and considered to be the co-leader of his outlaw band.- Origins :...
, the right-hand man of the Sicilian bandit Salvatore Giuliano
Salvatore Giuliano
Salvatore Giuliano was a Sicilian peasant. It has been suggested that the subjugated social status of his class led him to become a bandit and separatist. He was mythologised during his life and after his death...
, held responsible for the Portella della Ginestra massacre
Portella della Ginestra massacre
The Portella della Ginestra massacre was one of the more violent acts of in the history of modern Italian politics, when 11 people were killed and 33 wounded during May Day celebrations in Sicily on May 1, 1947, in the municipality of Piana degli Albanesi...
on May Day
May Day
May Day on May 1 is an ancient northern hemisphere spring festival and usually a public holiday; it is also a traditional spring holiday in many cultures....
1947 to impede the advance of communist and peasant movement.
He was also the last one to have seen the journalist Mauro De Mauro
Mauro De Mauro
Mauro De Mauro was an Italian journalist. He disappeared in September 1970 and his body has not yet been found. His disappearance and probable death remains one of the unsolved mysteries in Italian history.Several explanations for his disappearance are current...
, who disappeared in September 1970 following his investigations on the mysterious death of Enrico Mattei
Enrico Mattei
Enrico Mattei was an Italian public administrator. After World War II he was given the task of dismantling the Italian Petroleum Agency Agip, a state enterprise established by the Fascist regime. Instead Mattei enlarged and reorganized it into the National Fuel Trust Ente Nazionale Idrocarburi...
and on the Golpe Borghese
Golpe Borghese
The Golpe Borghese was a failed Italian coup d'état allegedly planned for the night of 7 or 8 December 1970. It was named after Junio Valerio Borghese, an Italian World War II commander of the notorious Xª MAS unit, the "Black Prince", convicted of war crimes, but still a hero in the eyes of many...
, a right wing coup attempt. De Mauro was allegedly murdered by the Mafia to cover up these events and possible political connections. Some observers claim Scaglione had been involved to keep these mysteries under wraps. Recent historical research, however, describes Scaglione as an honest judge.
Mafia involvement
According to Mafia turncoat (pentitoPentito
Pentito designates people in Italy who, formerly part of criminal or terrorist organizations, following their arrests decide to "repent" and collaborate with the judicial system to help investigations...
) Tommaso Buscetta
Tommaso Buscetta
Tommaso Buscetta was a Sicilian mafioso. Although he was not the first pentito in the Italian witness protection program, he is widely recognized as the first important one breaking omertà...
the murder of Scaglione had three objectives: to remove a troublesome prosecutor, to bring heat on two rival Mafiosi who were being tried by Scaglione and who might be thought culpable, and to create the suspicion that Scaglione had collaborated with the Mafia. Another pentito, Antonio Calderone, suggested that Scaglione’s assassination was the Mafia’s way of asserting its return to potency after the Catanzaro trial, during which it had been quiet.
It is now generally assumed that the killing was ordered by Mafia boss Luciano Leggio
Luciano Leggio
Luciano Leggio was an Italian criminal and leading figure of the Sicilian Mafia. He was the head of the Corleonesi, the Mafia faction that originated in the town of Corleone...
, head of the Corleonesi
Corleonesi
The Corleonesi is the name given to a faction within the Sicilian Mafia that dominated Cosa Nostra in the 1980s and the 1990s. It was called the Corleonesi because its most important leaders came from the town of Corleone, first Luciano Leggio and later Totò Riina, Bernardo Provenzano and Leoluca...
, because Scaglione had sent one of Leggio’s sister into internal banishment from Corleone for aiding and abetting her brother who was a fugitive at the time. According to Buscetta it was Leggio himself who killed Scaglione with the help of Salvatore Riina
Salvatore Riina
Salvatore "Totò" Riina is a member of the Sicilian Mafia who became the most powerful member of the criminal organization in the early 1980s. Fellow mobsters nicknamed him The Beast due to his violent nature, or sometimes The Short One due to his diminutive stature...
. Leggio would later be tried twice for killing Scaglione but was acquitted for insufficient evidence.