Taxes on banks, Patuelli: ‘Pacta sunt servanda? I wonder where Justinian is depicted in Italia’
This is how the president of the ABI responds to those who ask him whether, in his view, the motto still holds true
‘The maxims of Roman law were codified by Emperor Justinian. ‘I ask you where Emperor Justinian is depicted in Italia.’ Thus the president of the Italian Banking Association (ABI), Antonio Patuelli, replied cryptically to those who asked him whether, in his view, the maxim ‘pacta sunt servanda’ still applies, ‘agreements must be honoured’, after the Government requested a further 5 billion contribution to the financial system under the Budget Law, despite the three-year agreement signed last year. The Roman Emperor Justinian, under whose auspices the *Corpus iuris civilis* was drawn up, is often featured in allegorical representations of civil justice, including within courthouses. Yesterday, the CEO of Intesa Sanpaolo, Carlo Messina, emphasised that last year the banks and the government had ‘reached an agreement on a three-year contribution’.
“I believed in it,” concluded the banker. No other statements were made today by the bankers following the meeting of the ABI’s executive committee. All those present left the association’s headquarters without commenting on the matter.
