Italy: Court rules State-Mafia negotiation never occurred

The Italian Court of Cassation has issued a definitive ruling regarding the so-called State-Mafia negotiation, effectively concluding that such a negotiation never took place. The court annulled previous appellate sentences and issued a full acquittal for former Ros officers Mario Mori, Giuseppe De Donno, and Antonio Subranni, stating they ‘did not commit the act’ rather than simply that the act did not constitute a crime. This ruling follows previous acquittals of political figures, including former minister Calogero Mannino and former senator Marcello Dell’Utri.

In a separate development regarding mafia retaliation, the death of 35-year-old Denise Cosco has sparked criticism of the state's witness protection programs. Cosco, the daughter of anti-mafia witness Lea Garofalo, had become a witness herself after her mother was murdered by the 'ndrangheta in 2009. Ignazio Cutrò, president of the National Association of Justice Witnesses, stated that the state has abandoned witnesses once their formal protection periods end, leaving them vulnerable to organized crime.