“Personally, I do not know of any unnecessary wiretaps, because they are ordered by a judge through an act that is not private when proceeding in relation to serious crimes,” said Melillo.
There is a need for more guarantees and greater efficiency in the use of wiretaps, without backtracking in the use of wiretaps themselves, he added.
“The national prosecutor and the other districts have sent a note to the Justice Minister highlighting the serious state of the infrastructure supporting the wiretapping system and the urgent need for decisive action,” said Melillo.
Parliament is examining a government justice reform including, among other measures, new restrictions on the publication of information obtained from wiretaps.
However, on Monday Justice Minister Carlo Nordio said the government plans to introduce further changes to the rules on wiretaps to protect the freedom and secrecy of conversations.
“We will intervene to fully implement Article 15 of the Constitution, which affirms the freedom and secrecy of conversations,” said Nordio.
“Right now, we have intervened partially to protect the third party, that is, the person who is mentioned in the conversations of others.
“Later on, we will also intervene to protect the dignity and freedom of people who are talking and must speak to each other in confidentiality, because confidentiality is the flip side of freedom.”
Nordio said such changes would not compromise investigations into organised crime.
On Wednesday Melillo also expressed concerns about the risk of mafia infiltration in the European Union-funded national recovery and resilience plan (NRRP), saying that the country’s credibility is at stake.
“I cannot but express great concern, because the risk of exposing this gigantic public finance manoeuvre to the dispossession of resources intended for the country’s recovery is great,” the nation anti-mafia prosecutor told the parliamentary committee.
“The test for the anti-mafia prevention system and, later, for the judicial machinery will carry a bitter price for the credibility of the country if it fails,” said Melillo.
Italy is set to receive a total of nearly 200 billion euros from the EU in support of projects to make its economy greener and more modern.
The funding rests on the condition that the targets agreed with the European Commission are met by the 2026 deadline.
The country is currently awaiting the delayed payment of the third instalment of 19 billion euros amid concerns that some of the projects have been bogged down by delays.
ANSA
