ABSTRACT: Text-interview inserted in the column "Stories of the Transparty", where new members for 1994 motivate the reasons for joining. For Vincenzino Culicchia, a member of the Italian Parliament, the choice originated from the "grief" of an episode which he recalls "as a nightmare", when he was convicted for "organizing the assassination of the vice mayor of Partanna" as well as for associating with the Mob. Culicchia says he is awaiting the findings of the judicial investigation with trust and "lay faith".

(1994 - IL QUOTIDIANO RADICALE, 25 October 1993)

It's a decision I developed in the grief of a personal event which I remember as a nightmare. I thought of committing suicide more than once, but gradually I abandoned the idea thanks to the demonstrations of trust of my friends and family".

The "choice" of Vincenzino Culicchia, a Sicilian member of Parliament, is joining the radical party. He started to conceive the idea when the judiciary accused him, during two separate investigations, of having organized the assassination of the vice mayor of Partanna, a village Culicchia had been mayor of for many years. Then we was accused of granting financial support to a cooperative years before that, when he was councillor for the Sicilian Region. During this second investigation, the justiciary accused him of violating article 416 bis, relative to links with the Mafia.

"Some may take this as a selfish reason. The truth is that certain events can change your prospect on things. You reconsider values such as personal dignity, the right to a just justice not only for the powerful, but for everyone. On the other hand, I had long agreed with the radicals' position on justice.

Some Catholics think the radicals' positions conflict with the Christian culture.

"I personally have never perceived this contradiction. In fact, joining the radical party helped me spiritually in what has become my personal daily battle for the past two years. Luckily the judiciary will soon have to issue an opinion, and I'm sure it will be clear to all that I am the object of infamous allegations based on fragile, inconsistent evidence: the statements of two judicial cooperators who were young children at the time of the facts.

As far as the cooperative is concerned, the allegations are based on even more inconsistent elements. I have been waiting for the past year to be able to produce records on the basis of which the magistrates could verify the inconsistency of the allegations. I am still waiting to be summoned.

You talked about privileges. If allegations of this kind had concerned an ordinary citizen instead of a member of Parliament...

"Obviously I would still be in jail. But only as far as the second allegation is concerned, for which arrest is provided. Nonetheless, I immediately asked to authorize the proceeding at once. I said I wanted the judiciary to carry out a thorough investigation of the facts. I want things to be clarified. In this respect I applied a radical principle: the judiciary must investigate and the truth must emerge. I need that truth which has always been certain for me, but which an absurd atmosphere makes invisible to other people".

Did you ask the committee for the authorization yourself? And how did you vote on the requests concerning other MPs?

No one know that in spite of the fact that I wanted the authorization to be granted, the committee had decided not to hear me. An important sign of the atmosphere we are surrounded by. "If he is asking it himself..." most people seemed to think. It was Roberto Cicciomessere who asked all members to hear me".

As far as the requests concerning other MPs are concerned, I have always voted according to the indications of the Committee, because I trust the parliamentarians are doing a good job and because they have all the elements to make a correct assessment of the situation. Therefore I voted in favour of many authorizations. But I refuse this atmosphere of summary trials, all the more incredible after 40 years during which authorization were very rare".

You mentioned a radical principle: trust in the judiciary or in justice?

"In both. I will never insult those who are investigating me. I never did it, not even when an assistant of mine who was seriously ill was arrested and questioned during the night (the court of supreme appeal then decided the arrest was not to be carried out). I never did it when a bank investigation was carried out which the judiciary did not carry out for the most dangerous mafia bosses. I never did it when people accused me of being a mafioso, I who have fought against mafia bosses such as the Salvo cousins, the mafia cashiers, and against Salvo Lima. I await with confidence and faith. Lay faith as well..."

Translator's notes

CICCIOMESSERE ROBERTO. (Bolzano 1948). Radical deputy belonging to the European Federalist Group. A conscientious objector, he was arrested and convicted; following his initiative, in 1972 this civil right was recognized in Italy. In 1970 he was treasurer of the Radical party, which he was also secretary of in 1971 and 1984. In 1969 secretary of the LID (Italian League for Divorce), and member of the European Parliament from 1984 to 1989. The mastermind and organizer of "AGORA' telematica", multilingual computer communications system.

(2) SALVO LIMA. A powerful exponent of the DC in Sicily, he was murdered by the Mafia.