On
February 17, 1992
, with the arrest in Milan of the engineer
Mario Chiesa
, the Mani Pulite investigation began.
30 years later, here is a chronology of the main stages in which political events are intertwined with judicial ones:
1992
- February 17:
Mario Chiesa is arrested in the act of crime while pocketing a bribe of 7 million paid by the owner of a cleaning company
- 7 May:
the first public administrators arrested, including Gianstefano Frigerio, Lombard secretary of the DC.
-
12 May
: guarantee notice to Senator Severino Citaristi, national administrative secretary of the DC.
-
May 16:
Milanese PDS secretary, Roberto Cappellini, arrested
- 2 September:
The socialist exponent Sergio Moroni, who had received a guarantee notice months earlier, commits suicide.
- December 15:
notice of guarantee to Bettino Craxi for the "mother of all bribes", the bribe Enimont, the first political secretary under investigation.
She will resign in the following February.
1993
- 25 February:
guarantee notice to Giorgio La Malfa, secretary Pri.
- March 5:
the Conso Minister of Justice passes a law decree accepted as a "blow in the sponge"
- March 15
: notices of guarantee to the former PSdi secretary Antonio Cariglia and Renato Altissimo, Pli secretary.
- 5 April:
first guarantee notice to the former DC Forlani secretary.
- April 28:
Carlo Azeglio Ciampi forms a new government.
- April 29:
Parliament denies authorization to proceed against Bettino Craxi.
The day after street protests, with the throwing of coins at the socialist secretary's address in front of the Raphael hotel in Rome. In Milan, notices of guarantee to the former mayors Carlo Tognoli and Paolo Pillitteri.
- 20 July:
former Eni president Gabriele Cagliari commits suicide in prison in Milan, where he had been detained for four months
- 23 July:
Raul Gardini, president of the Ferruzzi Montedison Group, commits suicide in Milan.
The CEO was arrested.
by Montedison Carlo Sama (Gardini's brother-in-law) and the manager Sergio Cusani for the "mother of all bribes" (150 billion lire used to finance parties)
- 7 December:
Alessandro Patelli, organizational secretary of the League, was arrested.
A guarantee notice will follow to Umberto Bossi
1994
- January 18:
in DC di Martinazzoli it becomes PPI (Italian People's Party).
The CCD was then born from a split.
- January 22:
Constitutive Congress of the National Alliance.
- 26 JAN: Silvio Berlusconi announces his "descent into the field" and 10 days later presents Forza Italia.
- March 27:
political elections are held with the new majority system.
Berlusconi Prime Minister.
- 1 July:
after Occhetto's resignation, Massimo D'Alema is secretary of the PDS.
- July 13:
Biondi decree on preventive detention.
The Mani Pulite pool threatens to resign.
- 13 November:
the PSI is dissolved and the new party of the Italian Socialists is born.
The elected secretary is Enrico Boselli.
- November 22:
Berlusconi during a UN conference in Naples on crime receives an invitation to appear.
- December 6:
after concluding the indictment in the Enimont trial, Antonio Di Pietro throws the toga.
- December 22:
the Berlusconi government resigns.
Lamberto Dini will succeed him.
1995
- April 7:
Di Pietro is denounced by Carlo Taormina and by gen.
Cerciello
- May 5:
Minister of Justice Filippo Mancuso sends inspectors to Milan.
- December 20:
Request for indictment for Di Pietro accused of extortion and abuse of office.
1996
- February 22:
first acquittal in Brescia for Di Pietro who, later, will be cleared of all charges.
- April 21:
new early elections.
Winners Ulivo and Prc.
- May 17:
Prodi government.
Di Pietro Minister of Public Works.
- 12 November:
first definitive sentence for Craxi: five years and six months for the Eni-Sai affair which will be followed by another for the bribes related to the MM.
1997
- 13 June:
from the Supreme Court definitive penalties for Enimont: three years in Citaristi, 2 years and 4 months in Forlani, 8 months in Altissimo and Bossi, 6 months and 20 days in La Malfa.
On 21 January of that year Sergio Cusani, the suspected symbol of Mani Pulite and the only one to really pay, was definitively sentenced to 5 years and 10 months, while on 10 July following Paolo Cirino Pomicino was inflicted 1 year and 8 months.
No definitive pronouncement for Craxi who will die in Tunisia on January 19, 2000.
