Ingroia defends Messina Denaro’s proxy: “I am always on the right side”

Last Updated: March 29, 2024

Ingroia e la difesa del prestanome di Messina Denaro: «Io sto sempre dalla parte giusta»

Explain to me briefly the following article:

“I am always on the right side. I accepted with reservation the appointment of Massimo Gentile as his defender on the condition that he is able to provide convincing explanations regarding the seemingly indisputable facts that objectively accuse him. I will only defend him if my intervention can help ascertain the truth about the cover-ups during the years of fugitive enjoyed by the mob boss Matteo Messina Denaro. With the same spirit years ago, I publicly and provocatively offered my defense to Matteo Messina Denaro.” This is reiterated by Antonio Ingroia regarding “press reports showing surprise that I, now a lawyer, but formerly the former anti-mafia public prosecutor coordinator for years of anti-mafia investigations in Palermo, could defend architect Massimo Gentile accused by the same Palermo Prosecutor’s Office of being a supporter of Matteo Messina Denaro.”

“I am abroad and therefore I have not been able to personally discuss with Gentile so far, but indirectly, through co-defender Michele Melchiorre, I have learned from him and his family that he will be able to provide explanations that will exonerate him – adds Ingroia – The duty of a lawyer is to defend their client regardless, but the coherence with my history and my ideas compel me to defend only positions that I consider defensible. Therefore, I reiterate that I will evaluate in the coming days whether to confirm with conviction or renounce the appointment based on the explanations that Gentile will provide and the subsequent verifications that I will carry out with the help of my collaborators.”