Govt, opposition clash over corruption penalties

(ANSA) - Rome, February 26 - Majority and opposition parties were at loggerheads over a government anti-corruption package Thursday after the Senate justice commission approved an amendment raising the minimum and maximum penalties for corruption respectively from four to six and from eight to ten years.
    The package, which comes in response to a series of high-profile scandals involving alleged public sector corruption across Italy, could be approved by the Senate assembly next week. "We confirm our confidence in the judiciary starting with the anti-corruption package that will give new powers and will be approved by the Senate next week," Justice Minister Andrea Orlando told State broadcaster RAI. However the opposition party Forza Italia (FI) of ex-premier Silvio Berlusconi claimed that the new, stiffer penalties contained elements of "irrationality" particularly with respect to proscribed penalties for other serious crimes such as murder. For example, the penalty for ordinary corruption would be "higher than that for judicial corruption", Senate justice commission head Francesco Nitto Palma of FI said. "Interventions concerning the criminal code must be made using common sense and not as an act of propaganda," he continued.
    On Wednesday Premier Matteo Renzi said in a post on his Twitter account that his government has been fighting corruption and that efforts will be increased through stiffer penalties.
    House and Senate Speakers Laura Boldrini and Pietro Grasso joined the debate, reaffirming their commitment to abolishing life annuities for former MPs who have been convicted of corruption. "I personally consider it unacceptable that annuities should continue to be paid out to people tarnished with serious crimes such as mafia and corruption," Boldrini said.
    And Grasso dismissed claims by former Constitutional Court President Cesare Mirabelli that the abolition of annuities needed to be regulated by law, saying the matter fell within parliament's sphere of autonomy.