Leftist parties moved to constrain anti-mafia enforcement without proven collusion
Evidence
Both radicals and prominent socialists such as Bettino Craxi and Nino Buttitta denied all allegations of mafia influence. Although active collusion cannot be inferred, since the early 1980s both parties have nonetheless been active in trying to place strict formal limits on actions the authorities can take against the mafia—more so than any other party, including the Christian Democrats. They opposed the trials based on the evidence of mafiosi who had turned state’s evidence and supported the controversial decisions of the Corte di Cassazione—chaired by Judge Corrado Carnevale—which failed to uphold the verdicts of other courts. — Diego Gambetta, The Sicilian Mafia The Business of…, 486
Categorization
Category: Contrarian or Surprising Claims
- QUESTION: Gambetta flags that circumstantial alignment, not proven collusion, ties leftist parties to mafia interests — worth probing whether this pattern recurred in later Italian electoral politics.