The judge was killed by a car bomb, on Via d’Amelio in Palermo, on his way to visit his mother.
Five police officers also lost their lives in the explosion: Agostino Catalano, Walter Cosina, Emanuela Loi, Vincenzo Li Muli and Claudio Traina.
Borsellino’s widow, Agnese, refused the offer of a state funeral, accusing the government of failing to protect her husband. Instead, she opted for a private ceremony.
During the official funeral for the five police officers, hordes of public citizens broke through the barriers and accosted the politicians present.
Security services were forced to accompany Italy’s president, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, Prime Minister Giuliano Amato and Police Chief Vincenzo Parisi out of Palermo’s cathedral.
Borsellino’s murder occurred just 57 days after his friend, anti-mafia magistrate, Giovanni Falcone, was killed along with his wife, Francesca Morvillo, and three police officers: Vito Schifani, Rocco Dicillo and Antonio Montinaro.
Earlier this year, Italy marked the 30th anniversary of the murders of both Falcone and Borsellino by issuing a special €2 coin in their honour
On Tuesday, President Sergio Mattarella paid tribute to Borsellino and his security detail, calling for a “spirit of truth” in relation to the ongoing trials, which have been subject to efforts attempting to throw them off track.
National anti-mafia prosecutor, Giovanni Melillo, apologised for the hampered investigations in an interview with the Corriere della Sera
