Crime fighting starts at school

(ANSA) - Rome, May 21 - The fight against unlawfulness begins at school said Education Minister Stefania Giannini Thursday as efforts continued to secure final approval for new anti-graft legislation in parliament.
    "The fight against corruption starts from the individual, from personal choices made even at school," Giannini told a forum on legality hosted by ANSA.
    Her comments came as the Lower House continued to examine the anti-corruption bill originally presented by former chief anti-mafia prosecutor Pietro Grasso before being elected Senate speaker two years ago, and which was approved by the Senate on April 1.
    Pressure to pass new laws regulating graft has been growing as the result of a raft of corruption scandals involving public works projects and politicians on both sides of the political spectrum.
    Sources said the bill could win definitive approval from the Lower House on Friday.
    Raffaele Cantone, the head of Italy's anti-corruption authority, told ANSA he considered the bill to be the best legislation that it is possible to achieve at this stage and called for it to be approved swiftly. "I think the anti-corruption bill, which I hope is approved within a week, is just about the best possible," Cantone told an ANSA forum.
    It is absolutely necessary to promote a culture of lawfulness in Italy, he added.
    "This is an essential premise," Cantone said. "Young people must be made to understand that corruption damages not only business but also their future," he continued, adding that the "cancer of corruption" had been underestimated for too long. "It is not true that young people are disinterested in this subject, they only need to be motivated," he said. "I believe schools can do a huge amount not just for the culture of legality, which is a term that is abused, but of responsibility, the culture of rights and responsibilities" in fighting corruption, the magistrate added. For his part the president of the national association of magistrates (ANM) Rodolfo Maria Sabelli said the anti-graft bill set Italy "on the right path", but that more needed to be done.
    The bill contemplating reduced sentences for justice collaborators aims to "break the corruptive agreement and in this perspective incentivising collaboration is precisely one of the tools used", Sabelli said.
    "This is a trend reversal and an important signal," he continued.
    However, Sabelli said other tools were also needed, including existing instruments used to fight organised crime.