In the 1990s, after the “Clean Hands” corruption scandal disrupted the long-standing dominance of the Christian Democrats, politicians were discredited while prosecutors gained hero status and moral authority. This sparked enduring grievances on the right and fostered the belief that the judiciary had turned into a political entity.
Historically, perspectives were not always so polarized.
The notion of differentiating the career paths of judges and prosecutors was once backed by the left: Massimo D’Alema, then secretary of the left-wing Partito Democratico di Sinistra and future prime minister, advocated for the reform as the chair of a bipartisan parliamentary commission in 1997.
However, the scenario shifted with Silvio Berlusconi’s ascent to power.
The former prime minister adopted a confrontational attitude towards the judiciary, claiming he was being prosecuted for political reasons. He derogatorily called judges “red robes,” accusing them of being Communist allies bent on pursuing a vendetta against him. Berlusconi made several attempts to limit prosecutorial authority, including restricting wiretap usage, establishing parliamentary immunity, and shortening the statute of limitations.
In 2002, Berlusconi suggested a constitutional amendment similar to Meloni’s but withdrew it amid strong opposition. Since then, most administrations, like Mario Draghi’s in 2021, concentrated on enacting specific laws to enhance efficiency.
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