No "unusual secrecy" nor influences "from considerations extraneous to the humanitarian purposes of the pardon."
The Quirinale returns to the Nicole Minetti case after the Attorney General's Office confirmed its positive opinion on the pardon: "The President of the Republic, who had publicly requested the Ministry of Justice—which he thanks for its prompt action—to order new investigations, has respectfully acknowledged the conclusions of the Milan Attorney General's Office , according to which there are no grounds for reconsidering the clemency measure adopted, reaffirming his confidence in the judiciary ."
"The competent judicial authority—the Attorney General's Office at the Milan Court of Appeal—has conducted the investigations requested by the Presidency of the Republic and urged by the Ministry of Justice into the alleged groundlessness of the conditions that led to the granting of a pardon to Ms. Minetti ," the Colle recalls. "The Attorney General's Office has conducted thorough investigations into the alleged facts depicted in press reports, through all necessary channels, through Italian police agencies and Interpol, and has concluded that they are untrue ."
Hence, further clarifications on the case that emerged from an episode of "Mi manda Rai Tre" and which exploded after an investigation by Fatto Quotidiano: "It is recalled—for correct and authentic information—that, for over eleven years, when a pardon request is accompanied by a favorable opinion from the competent judicial bodies, the President of the Republic has routinely granted the pardon, without being influenced by considerations unrelated to the humanitarian purposes of the pardon. For the sake of accuracy, it should be added that, for the pardon decree in question, the Quirinale—the statement continues— has not deviated from its usual behavior, without any unusual secrecy: in most cases of pardons, no statement is issued by the Quirinale, due to the presence of sensitive data—illnesses, family matters and relationships, involvement of children, and other delicate aspects—which must be duly protected from disclosure. To provide a precise basis for evaluation, during the presidential term, which has lasted over four years , 42 pardons have been granted: 12 of these were published in a press release, while 30 cases were not disclosed because they involved sensitive data. The Presidency of the Republic observes the ban on their dissemination.
(Unioneonline/D)