7 June 2006

14 – The PSI

I’m continuing to publish some questions and answers from the book "Intervista su Tangentopoli" published by Laterza and edited by Giovanni Valentini.

GV: Let’s change direction. On the one hand you have been accused of having been particularly careful in relation to the PCI-PDS, on the other hand they have said that you waged political persecution against the PSI.
ADP: Even this story of the PSI can be cleared up once and for all. It was not our choice that in the affairs that we were investigating the PSI was hit more than the others.
It’s simply a question of the geographical area that was within our jurisdiction. I am convinced that in the same conditions of time and place – the famous coincidence of circumstances that we talked about at the beginning – if instead of in Milan, the pool had been working in Naples, it would have been in the position to do a feast of investigations into the big names in the zone, perhaps into Pomicino or De Lorenzo, De Mita or Di Donato.
We didn’t investigate Craxi for personal idiosyncrasies, but because our work as magistrates was rooted in Milan, in a reality where he had a strong presence. Everyone knows: Milan was the stronghold of Craxian power. We couldn’t simply pretend not to see that.

GV: However from Milan, you arrived as far as Rome….
ADP: Yes, certainly. It’s true that we also investigated the other parties and the leaders of the other parties. But we investigated them because they were involved in investigations that started within the Milan jurisdiction.
It’s not my fault that Craxi had his offices in Piazza del Duomo. It’s not my fault that Milan was the centre of his interests. It’s not my fault that he was involved in the Milan Metro, nor is it my fault that many business people came to Milan to pay the bribes to the administrative secretary of the PSI, Balsamo, in Craxi’s office in Piazza del Duomo.
Let’s not invert the terms of the issue. Craxi used an expression: “Milan to drink” (Milano da bere). It’s not my fault if it was he that drunk more than others.

Posted by Antonio Di Pietro in Interview about Tangentopoli