Renato Schifani

Infobox Prime Minister
honorific-prefix = Senatore
name = Renato Schifani

---

order = President of the Italian Senate
term_start = 29 April 2008
term_end =
predecessor = Franco Marini
successor = "incumbent"
order2 = Member of the Italian Senate
term_start2 = 21 April 1996
term_end2 =
constituency2 = Sicily
birth_date = Birth date and age|1950|5|11|mf=y
birth_place = Palermo, Italy
alma_mater =
profession = Attorney
Politician
religion = Roman Catholic
children =
spouse =
residence =
party = Forza Italia

Renato Schifani (born 11 May 1950 [http://www.senato.it/leg/16/BGT/Schede/Attsen/00003939.htm Page at Senate website] it icon.] ) is an Italian politician and a prominent member of the centre-right People of Freedom. Since 29 April 2008 he has been President of the Italian Senate.Flavia Krause-Jackson, [http://www.bloomberg.com.au/apps/news?pid=20601092&sid=aQblI5FW2sJA&refer=italy "Italian Senate Elects Renato Schifani as its New President"] , Bloomberg, April 29, 2008.] it icon [http://www.corriere.it/Primo_Piano/Politica/2008/04_Aprile/29/schifani_scheda.shtml Il Palermo e Silvio, le passioni di Schifani] , "Corriere della Sera", April 29, 2008] Schifani was born in Palermo.

Biography

Berlusconi's chief whip

Schifani used to be a lawyer at the Supreme Court of Cassation (Italian: "Corte Suprema di Cassazione"), the major court of last resort. He specialized in real estate regulations and became active in the credit recovery business. Filippo Mancuso, the former minister of Justice born in Palermo, termed Schifani “the prince of credit recovery” (“il principe del recupero crediti”).it icon [http://www.ansa.it/opencms/export/site/notizie/rubriche/daassociare/visualizza_new.html_69726402.html Schifani al Senato, la sfida di essere presidente di tutti] , ANSA, May 4, 2008] Prior to joining Forza Italia in 1995, he has been an active member of Christian Democracy. Elected in 1996 in the Altofonte-Corleone district in Sicily, Schifani served as Silvio Berlusconi's chief whip in the Italian Senate.

In 2002, Schifani was a protagonist in the attempt to secure the embedding of the provisional Article 41-bis prison regime – used against people imprisoned for particular crimes such as Mafia involvement – as a definitive measure in Italian law.

Schifani and Antonio Maccanico, senator of the centre left L’Ulivo (Olive Tree) political coalition, gave their name to the law approved in June 2003 to grant immunity to Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi. The Maccanico-Schifani decree was approved by the Italian parliament guaranteeing immunity for the top five representatives of the State (although the other four were not facing trial). This law was declared unconstitutional by the Constitutional Court on January 13, 2004.it icon Gomez & Travaglio, "Se li conosci li eviti", p. ?]

President of the Senate

Schifani was elected as President of the Senate on April 29 2008, following the general election held earlier in the month. He received 178 out of 319 votes.

Alleged Mafia connections

In 1979, Renato Schifani founded and became managing director of the firm Siculabrokers.it icon [http://rassegna.camera.it/chiosco_new/pagweb/immagineFrame.asp?comeFrom=search&currentArticle=3MLGB Una vita da Schifani] , L'Espresso, August 13, 2002] Enrico La Loggia (who would later become minister of Regional Affairs), Benny D'Agostino, Giuseppe Lombardo and Nino Mandalà were among its shareholders.it icon [http://francescorigatelli.nova100.ilsole24ore.com/2008/04/berlusconi-schi.html Berlusconi, Schifani ed il cattivo esempio] , by Francesco Rigatelli, blog at Il Sole 24 Ore, April 30, 2008] it icon Gomez & Abbate, "I Complici". See an abstract in [http://www.corriere.it/politica/08_maggio_14/complici_abate_gomes_5d1f8ab4-21b2-11dd-b258-00144f486ba6.shtml Ecco uno stralcio da «I complici»] , Corriere della Sera, May 14, 2008] it icon "Uliwood Party", by Marco Travaglio, L'Unità, April 23, 2008] es icon [http://www.elpais.com/articulo/internacional/Schifani/colaborador/Berlusconi/nuevo/presidente/Senado/italiano/elpepuint/20080429elpepuint_17/Tes Schifani, colaborador de Berlusconi, nuevo presidente del Senado italiano] , El País, April 29, 2008]

Benny D’Agostino is an entrepreneur convicted for Mafia association, Mandalà was convicted for Mafia association and was indicated by the Court as the Mafia boss of Villabate,it icon [http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2007/09/28/pa_034patto.html Patto mafia-politica per il megastore] , La Repubblica (Palermo edition), September 28, 2007] it icon [http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2007/04/28/pa_032la.html La sentenza] , La Repubblica (Palermo edition), April 28, 2007] Lombardo was chairman and member of the board of Satris, a credit recovery agency whose shareholders were Nino and Ignazio Salvo, well known businessmen and Mafiosi of the Salemi “family,” arrested by prosecutor Giovanni Falcone in 1984. [http://www.ecorav.it/arci/approfondimenti/scheda6/scheda6t.htm L'impero dei Salvo] ]

According to the pentito (Mafia turncoat) Francesco Campanella, Antonio Mandalà and La Loggia in the 1990s agreed on the master plan for the shopping centre they wanted to develop in the town of Villabate, which aroused the interests of politicians and the Mafia.it icon [http://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/2006/05/11/pa_006villabate.html 'Villabate: Schifani e La Loggia concordarono il Prg con il boss'] , La Repubblica (Palermo edition}, May 11, 2006] Schifani, La Loggia and the civil engineer Guzzaro -– the consultant who advised the town -– would share the consulting fees for drawing up the master plan. The master plan of the town of Villabate was designed under specific instruction of Antonino and Nicola Mandalà (Antonino’s son who was responsible for the logistics to keep the fugitive Mafia boss Bernardo Provenzano at large [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6153840.stm Mafia men get 300 years in jail] , BBC News, November 16, 2006] ). They conspired with the local Mafia families and politicians to skim from the public contracts.

In 1992, Schifani along with Antonio Mangano and Antonino Garofalo founded GMS, another credit recovery agency. Schifani's partner Garofalo was charged with usury and extortion in 1997. However, Schifani was not mentioned in the police investigation. In both cases Schifani has never been investigated for any Mafia-related offence, much less tried.

Media row with Travaglio

On May 10, 2008, the journalist Marco Travaglio interviewed on the RAI current affairs talk show television programme "Che tempo che fa", talked about the Italian media. He mentioned past relationships between Schifani and men who have subsequently been condemned for Mafia association as an example of a relevant fact ignored by almost all Italian newspapers which published a biography of Schifani as the new president of Senate.it icon [http://www.corriere.it/politica/08_maggio_11/piccolillo_f68ec80a-1f31-11dd-b397-00144f486ba6.shtml «Schifani diffamato da Travaglio»] ," Corriere della Sera", May 11, 2008] it icon [http://www.repubblica.it/2008/05/sezioni/politica/insulti-schifani/insulti-schifani/insulti-schifani.html Fazio chiede scusa in Tv a Schifani] , La Repubblica, May 11, 2008] [http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/john_hooper/2008/05/compromised_by_compromise.html Compromised by compromise] , blog by John Hooper (The Guardian), May 13, 2008]

The statement of Travaglio resulted in fierce and almost universally negative reactions including from the centre left, except for Antonio Di Pietro who said that Travaglio was ‘merely doing his job’. Some called for chief executives at RAI to be dismissed. The popular political commentator Beppe Grillo supported Travaglio, while Schifani announced he would go to Court and blame Travaglio for slander.it icon [http://www.corriere.it/politica/08_maggio_12/travaglio_fazio_sanzione_b5c1ee2e-2026-11dd-895d-00144f486ba6.shtml Caso Travaglio, Schifani querela] ," Corriere della Sera", May 12, 2008] Schifani said Travaglio's accusation was based on "inconsistent or manipulated facts, not even worthy of generating suspicions," adding that "someone wants to undermine the dialogue between the government and the opposition."

References

*it icon Gomez, Peter & Lirio Abbate (2007). "I complici. Tutti gli uomini di Bernardo Provenzano da Corleone al Parlamento", Fazi Editore, ISBN 9788881127863
*it icon Gomez, Peter & Marco Travaglio (2008). "Se li conosci li eviti. Raccomandati, riciclati, condannati, imputati, ignoranti, voltagabbana, fannulloni del nuovo Parlamento", Milan: Chiarelettere

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Template group
title = Renato Schifani
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