WORLD SOCIAL SUMMIT 2008
'Wss: Vigna, the opportunities of globalization for organized crime'

Which is the relation between globalization and criminality? Can we think about a global body that regulates legality? Piero Luigi Vigna, emeritus President of the Court of Cassation, who held a speech at the World Social Summit of Fondazione Roma that ends today in the Capital city, tried to give an answer to these questions. "We can contrast fear or run away from it". Analysing the Italian events from his particular point of view, Vigna recalls how criminality in Italy became "placed in a historical context". "Extortion and ransom cases - the magistrate reminds for example - were generating fears in just a few people who owned considerable assets". Then we experienced the "red and black terrorism that aside from some massacres, it then led to widespread criminality, to crimes on indefinite victims"; this type of crimes generated many fears but it was overcome by "trans-national terrorism, starting from September 11^th, Madrid and London".

But "where did magistrates, especially those who died, police officers, especially those who died - Vigna stresses - find courage to face terrorism first and mafia later?". According to Vigna, they found it "in believing in the values written in our constitution, based on the democratic principle, which could not stand subversions, terrorisms that wanted to change the form". And "this was the main reason for which many people have died, while others by chance survived". But "courage was not enough - says Vigna - laws were needed, organization models to find terrorism first and then mafia". And the legislator intervened but, mentioning Calamandrei, he says: "Long-sighted Constitution sees far, while the short-sighted law maker sees too near". Some laws, according to the magistrate, were introduced too late.

With regards to mafia, according to Vigna "it does not only show its intimidating power. The main characteristic is "its relational identity". "Mafia relates with the State: politicians, public administrators, businessmen, entrepreneurs". To approach criminals, reminds Vigna, I adopted the theory of "interrogation - dialogue". "I thought it was improper - says the magistrate - to start the interrogation with objections of the crime, in case the person was a mafia leader or a leader of the Red Brigades". "We needed to reason first with the members of the Red Brigades, with black terrorists in order to understand their strategies in depth". A dialogue was started "to get to the ultimate roots and understand who and which thoughts brought to commit certain actions". "I never - reprimands Vigna - lost the thread connecting me to them, respecting them as men, their human rights even if criminal because part of my same nature".

With regards to globalization, once obtained the title of general director of the anti-mafia department, Vigna reminds how organized crime gained benefits from the abolition of frontiers, as it had already occurred in the past in these sphere. "A global regulating body cannot be present" says Vigna. But in his opinion "the European Union offered a point of strength, by creating many legal spaces among countries with common cultural roots, such as the organization, instrumentation, in order to diffuse legality worldwide".