The release of Giovanni Brusca, by virtue of a law inspired, paradoxically, by Giovanni Falcone, has caused a political stir. Secretary of the Democratic Party said it is a “punch in the stomach that leaves you breathless and you wonder how it is possible”.
It was Maria Falcone who clarified the point: “Humanly, it is news that pains me. But this is the law, a law that my brother also wanted and therefore must be respected. I only hope that the judiciary and the police will be vigilant in order to avert any danger of him committing a crime again, given that we are talking about a person who has had a very tortuous path of collaboration with justice. It is no longer the time for half-truths. And it would be an insult to Giovanni, Francesca, Vito, Antonio and Rocco that a man who has committed horrible crimes returns free to enjoy riches stained with blood.”
Released after 25 years
Giovanni Brusca leaves prison at the end of his sentence having spent 25 years in prison.
Salvatore Borsellino, brother of Paolo killed by Cosa Nostra in the Via D’Amelio massacre is unhappy with Brusca’s release. He stated, “Brusca’s release, who for me should have ended his days in a cell, is something humanly repugnant. However, that of the state against the mafia is, or at least it should be, a war. And in war it is also necessary to accept things that are repugnant. We must accept the law even when it is hard to do so, as in this case”.
“A life sentence must be considered in its entirety. It is indispensable if we really want to win this war against organised crime”, said the creator of the Red Agendas Movement.
Is Brusca still a danger to society?
“The alternative, in the absence of a life sentence”, added Salvatore Borsellino, “would have been to see this person free in five years without even having collaborated with justice and without having allowed many other criminals like him to be brought to justice”.
However, Salvatore Borsellino does not believe in Brusca’s repentance. “Also because his collaboration with the justice system was very troubled. At first he tried to pretend to undermine the institutions. I don’t think he really repented, as, instead, did Gaspare Mutolo, a murderer too, who killed 50 people with his bare hands by strangling them, but who today I think is a truly changed person. I don’t have this impression of Brusca.”
He added further, “He hasn’t told everything he knows. Certainly, however, what he said was a lot. And it allowed us to carry out many trials, to bring many criminals like him to justice.”
Could Brusca’s return to freedom constitute a danger? “He is basically a criminal, a person who kills a child and dissolves it in acid, saying he was like a little dog. He cannot be fully trusted. But I don’t think he can pose a danger today. “
