Iolanda Apostolico, the judge always on the left: the other political sentence

An endless diatribe of thirty years. A dark confrontation, that between politics and the judiciary, which erupted at the time of Tangentopoli, emerged with all its noise during the governments led by Silvio Berlusconi and became very topical again after Catania’s pronouncement. A sentence, that of judge Iolanda Apostolico, who, in fact, did not apply the so-called Cutro Decree on immigration approved last March, considering it “illegitimate to detain those seeking asylum”. The official established that some points of the bail law – provision for detention and accelerated border procedures – would be in conflict with European laws. A choice that generated a lot of controversy. Just think of the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, who defined herself as “astonished by a sentence with incredible motivations”. In reality, it is not the first time that Iolanda Apostolico has been forced to express herself on criminal issues, seasoned with political implications.

Just think about when, as a secondary judge at the Catania Court of Justice, on December 11, 2019, he sentenced Guido Gianni to thirteen years in prison. A story, that of the Sicilian goldsmith, still today surrounded by countless questions. On February 18, 2008, the jeweler from Nicolosi, a small town a few steps from Mount Etna, was the victim of a robbery. Three men broke into his store and attacked him and his wife. Gianni shot and killed two of the three robbers. According to the prosecution’s theory, the man fired the shots behind the bandits and, therefore, was not recognized as having self-defense. A decision strongly criticized by the trader’s wife, who launched a petition on Charge.org. «He defended me, his life, that of a client and our business. And that’s why I believe he cannot pay for the evil of his attackers.” The League, from the first moment, stood by Gianni’s side. “Condemned, after a lifetime of work, for having reacted to a robbery at armed hand, defending his wife from the attack of thieves – highlighted the leader of Carroccio, Matteo Salvini – Authentic madness. The defense is always legitimate.”

Harsh criticism also came from the League’s MEP, Susanna Ceccardi. «The judge who released the migrants detained in Pozzallo shared on social media the signatures collected to distrust Salvini and to buy plane tickets for irregular migrants so they could come directly to Italy. The same magistrate convicted goldsmith Guido Gianni of voluntary homicide, while the League was fighting a battle of self-defense, much contested by the left. I met Guido Gianni at Ucciardone some time ago and it was a very emotional moment. We reflect on the fact that in his place there could have been many other decent people who would have reacted in the same way, faced with such a shocking situation.”

Source: IL Tempo

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