Italys Graft-Fighter Suffers Smear Campaign

In less than a week Di Pietro has had to make three statements denying improper behaviour while investigating corruption during the early 1990s.

He has also initiated court proceedings to discover the source of defamatory information being leaked to the press. More seriously, he has openly attacked some in the Guardia di Finanza, the financial police, for waging a vendetta against him. This has led to the curious spectacle of Vincenzo Visco, the finance minister, defending the Guardia di Finanza, for whom he is responsible, from attacks of a ministerial colleague.

Di Pietro is one of the most popular figures in Italy, having set in train the process which discredited a corrupt politico-economic system. He was brought into the centre-left government in May as an independent. Since he resigned as a magistrate in December 1994, he has had to contend with well orchestrated smear campaigns.