Twentieth anniversary of death of Italy anti-mafia magistrate Borsellino

On the 20th anniversary of the killing of Italian anti-mafia judge Paolo Borsellino, the United Nations’ top anti-crime official has praised the work he did.

Executive Director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) Yury Fedotov said investigation methods Borsellino used are still vital.

Borsellino, who was killed on July 19 1992, had predicted his own death, understanding that his fight against organised crime made him a target.

Those who gathered to remember him on the anniversary brought t-shirts asking the government not to send wreaths, as they blame the Italian
intelligence service for his death.

The allegation is that Borsellino was about to release details about a secret government deal with the mafia to end the violence – a pact which disgusted him.

At the time of his death, Borsellino was writing his memoirs in a notebook called the red agenda, which mysteriously disappeared from the crime scene.

His killing came less than two months after the assassination of his colleague and fellow anti-mafia magistrate Giovanni Falcone, who was also praised by Fedotov.

Both men were killed by car bombs in Sicily – Falcone first on the motorway to Palermo, then Borsellino 57 days later in a car park also in the Sicilian regional capital.

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