Nordio on Toti's judges: 'The order is not understood'

Of the ordinance with which the re-examination court of Genoa has confirmed the house arrest for governor Giovanni Toti, minister Nordio, who has read it 'with great attention', has 'understood nothing'. Yet 'recently I also reread Hegel's Phenomenology of the Spirit with great attention and managed to understand it'. Thus the Guardasigilli Carlo Nordio during question time in the Chamber of Deputies.

The (suspended) Ligurian governor's house arrest has been in place since 7 May, and was the protagonist today in the Chamber of Deputies following Maurizio Lupi's (Noi Moderati) questioning of Nordio to assess 'the advisability of ordering an inspection'. "We were astonished to read the motivations of the Court of Re-examination of Genoa, with which President Toti was left under house arrest," said Lupi. "Since he would not have understood the reasons for which he was arrested - that is, he defended himself, we say - then he must continue to see his freedom restricted. We ask the Minister of Justice today whether this is an acceptable motivation in our country, with respect to the values of the Constitution. And whether it is not the case, but Minister Nordio will say so, to order an inspection'.

Nordio did not answer directly but said he was convinced 'that no investigation can and should condition the legitimacy of a political or administrative office that has been determined by the will of the people. There is absolute independence between the two processes. As far as the Csm's initiative is concerned, this imposed a duty on the ministry to acquire the court order and so we know it and have it, I can neither criticise nor comment on it'.