PALERMO, SEPTEMBER 29 – The Italian Minister of Justice, Carlo Nordio paid an homage to Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, two judges killed by the Sicilian Mafia, while opening the proceedings for the twentieth anniversary of the UN Palermo Convention. The event was held inside the Ucciardone prison’s bunker courtroom, where the Falcone and Borsellino brought to justice scores of members of the organized crime.
Inspired by Giovanni Falcone’s vision, the Palermo Convention is a legal framework introducing more advanced global tools for police cooperation against organized crime. It was signed in the Sicilian capital on November 15, 2000, and came into effect on September 29, 2003, with the participation of 190 UN member states.
“For Palermo and all of Italy, this day holds special significance,” Nordio said. “I would like to pay tribute to Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, who gave their lives in the fight against organized crime. This bunker courtroom is a symbolic place. We must consider that the Palermo Convention is facing a significantly changed scenario compared to twenty years ago,” the minister added. “However, its provisions are still extremely relevant: think of provisions on banking secrecy, money laundering; the concept of electronic surveillance that extends the scope of application to the latest telematic communication techniques; provisions that envisage common investigative bodies. We are convinced, therefore, that the Palermo Convention can experience a season of renewed centrality.”
The event was also attended by the Minister of the Interior, Matteo Piantedosi; the Undersecretary for Foreign Affairs, Maria Tripodi; the Executive Director of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Ghada Waly.
Tripodi stated, “The Convention is the only global instrument of judicial cooperation, applicable not only to ‘historic’ mafias and ‘new’ mafias of foreign origin, but also to corruption, economic crime, money laundering, cybercrime, terrorism-related offenses, and even human trafficking. Over 20 years, the fight against mafias has achieved significant successes. But criminal syndicates have simultaneously changed their modus operandi, increasingly dedicating themselves to migrant trafficking and human trafficking alongside traditional trafficking. Italy believes that these issues should be given ample space during the G7 Presidency in 2024, in continuity with our traditional commitment.” (@OnuItalia)
