July 19 marked the 31st anniversary of the Via D’Amelio bombing in which magistrate Paolo Borsellino and his security forces, comprising of Agostino Catalano, Emanuela Loi (the first Italian female member of a police escort and the first to be killed on duty), Vincenzo Li Muli, Walter Eddie Cosina, and Claudio Traina were killed by the Sicilian mafia.
31 years after the bombing, the family of Borsellino claims there is still no justice, as only the mafia has been punished during trials, while the state, also involved in the magistrate’s killing according to his brother Salvatore, has declared itself innocent.
“Sadly, the trial ended with the state’s people, who were part of negotiations with the mafia, which I believe cost the life of Paolo Borsellino, being declared innocent. From that point of view, having faith in justice is hard. The state has declared innocence for itself, because mafiosi have been punished, but not state officials who were part of these negotiations. I believe this cost the life of Paolo Borsellino. He was against this, which is why he was killed,” said Salvatore Borsellino in an interview to Euronews Albania this Thursday.
On October 20, 2020, Cosa Nostra’s boss Matteo Messina Denaro was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Corte d’Assise for having been one of the instigators of the bombing; however, he was only captured on January 16, 2023 by Italian police, after being a fugitive since 1993.
When asked if the Cosa Nostra that killed his brother still exists, Salvatore Borsellino declared that it is not as powerful as it used to be.
“Cosa Nostra still exists, but it is no longer the Cosa Nostra of the ‘80s. It has certainly suffered heavy blows, but unfortunately, its place in the leadership of organized crime has been taken by the ‘Ndrangheta, which is an even more powerful mafia organization. The ‘Ndrangheta has an ability to penetrate: there is no region in our country today, where the ‘Ndrangheta has not infiltrated,” Borsellino said during the interview.
Given similar problems in Albania with the organized crime and the work of the Special Structure against Organized Crime, where there may be prosecutors who might want to resemble Borsellino and Giovanni Falcone, Salvatore Borsellino says that the country needs individuals such as them.
“I hope that there are Falcone-s and Borsellino-s in Albania, because you need people who are straight about their business to fight the mafia. I hope that for Albania, but also for Italy; although I hope they do not meet the same end that was reserved to Borsellino, Falcone and numerous other magistrates.”
Paolo Borsellino was born in Palermo in 1940. In 1959, he enrolled in law school and graduated in 1962. At the age of 23, he won the judge competition. In 1975, he moved to Palermo and started working alongside Rocco Chinnici.
However, Borsellino’s career took a turn in 1980 when he was assigned an escort and later officially became part of the anti-mafia team, led by judge Caponnetto. In the years 1985-1986, Borsellino worked with other members of the group to prepare the “Maxi Trial”, which took place from 1986 to 1992, resulting in the imprisonment of 342 mafiosi.
Borsellino formed a close friendship with Giovanni Falcone, and they spent a lot of time together, both at work and in their private lives.
On May 23, 1992, Falcone lost his life during a bomb attack.
Then, on July 19, 1992, in Palermo, on Via D’Amelio, judge Paolo Borsellino and his companions were killed in the same manner. However, Borsellino was aware of his fate.
Despite constant and severe threats, Borsellino did not back down but continued with zeal and heroic determination the difficult work of investigation, sacrificing his life in service of the highest ideals of justice and institutions.
