Vendetta: Truth, Lies and the Mafia (2021) s01e05 Episode Script
Truth and Lies
A dramatic turn of events
at the trial in Caltanissetta
concerning possible mismanagement
of seized Mafia assets.
Silvana Saguto, the former judge
accused of corruption,
has revealed a diary containing a list
of people she granted favor.
I don't know who she's blackmailing
with this book of hers,
that's what it is, blackmail.
I think she's in a position to blackmail
half of the Italian judiciary.
[Saguto] The notion that I meant
to threaten anyone with this diary
is absurd.
In reality,
the names were all business cards
given to me by my colleagues,
of people they trusted.
[Pino] Saguto thought
I was a piece of shit.
She said that I was paid or supported
by the Mafia to destroy her.
She's telling lies.
[Saguto] They told us
to tread carefully with Maniaci
JULY 2015
because we don't want him
to become a victim.
[Pino] She needs to explain
the meaning behind all these calls
we managed to wiretap.
[Saguto]
If those prosecutor's office fuckwits
had investigated Maniaci,
they would have already arrested him.
In those recordings,
Saguto shows how much she loves me.
[Saguto] To avoid making him a victim,
they need to be ready with to get out.
Or better, how much she wants me dead.
[Saguto] Don't worry.
I'm told his days are numbered.
[man] Who?
[Saguto] Him. Big moustache.
[Pino] Do you see how serious this is?
She should be ashamed!
A NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY SERIES
[rhythmical music playing]
[music fading out]
[phone ringing]
JULY 2015
[Saguto] I can see how he's friends
with everyone,
especially those kinds of people,
because as soon
as we shut down a business,
Telejato in Partinico gets involved.
He supports all the mafiosos,
to a certain extent.
BUSINESS OWNER PIETRO CAVALLOTTI
WAS ABLE TO GET THE WIRETAPS
USED IN SAGUTO'S TRIAL
[man] I told you they confirmed
the conviction for the Impastatos.
[Saguto] We're waiting
for the Cavallottis.
[Pietro] We knew that she
was persecuting us, and this proves it.
She was certain
she had to confiscate our business.
However, as I listened to the recordings,
I realized there were quite a few
that mentioned Pino Maniaci.
It was discussed almost daily.
He was called "ignorant,"
"an asshole," "a crook."
There are some shocking things in there.
In some conversations,
it almost appears that they were planning
to get rid of Pino Maniaci
through the courts,
and then Saguto asks,
"When will this news arrive?"
She's probably referring
to an investigation and trial
of Pino Maniaci.
I'm going to Caltanissetta
to see former Judge Saguto take the stand.
At the very least,
I expect that seeing me will ruin her day.
If she goes red in the face,
my job will be done.
[Pietro] We need to give
Pino Maniaci credit.
I've said it plenty of times.
If Pino Maniaci hadn't gotten involved,
if he hadn't told the truth
about what was going on,
what everyone knew,
but no one wanted to talk about,
Saguto would still be seated.
[music builds, stops]
So we should build
a statue of Pino Maniaci.
[dramatic music playing]
[horn honking]
SAGUTO TRIAL
CROSS-EXAMINATION OF SILVANA SAGUTO
[Pino] I need her to see me.
I need to annoy her.
When she saw Pino Maniaci, she looked like
she knew she was in for it.
Little Pino Maniaci
who brought down the queen of Palermo
and the whole preventive measures system.
[Pino] I went to Caltanissetta
to Silvana Saguto's trial
because on the first day,
she had put on a show about Pino Maniaci.
And so, of course, I wanted to be there
to to see if she would
put on a show for me.
Go ahead.
But they spoke about the €20,000
that Cappellano Seminara
took to Saguto's house.
[newscaster] The second hearing
of the Saguto trial in Caltanissetta
will focus on the cross-examination
of the former president
of the Preventive Measures Department
at the Court of Palermo.
The mystery of the documents
will be at the center
of the prosecutor's questioning.
[man] The most serious act
of alleged corruption
is the €20,000 that the lawyer Cappellano,
according to the prosecution,
gave to Saguto on June 30th in a suitcase.
SILVANA SAGUTO'S LAWYER
Twenty thousand euros, twenty!
That fits in a small packet.
The suitcase and the visit
at 10:30 at night
makes more sense
as the delivery of a document to Saguto.
[woman] Good morning, ma'am.
PUBLIC PROSECUTOR
In that series of days,
at the end of June in 2015,
do you remember if you or your family
had any financial deadlines?
[Saguto] We had some financial trouble,
but we weren't destitute.
We were never delinquent,
we weren't penniless.
WIRETAPPED CONVERSATION
BETWEEN SILVANA SAGUTO
AND CAPPELLANO SEMINARA
[Saguto] You don't understand.
I'm desperate. I have no money left.
[Seminara] I'll look into it.
[Saguto] If I don't pay
the American Express by the 30th,
I'll lose everything.
We're ruined. I'll have to sell the house.
All right, on the 30th of June,
your husband contacted you
to tell you
that Banca Nuova had called him.
We had an €8,000 loan with Banca Nuova.
About 40 seconds later,
you make another phone call.
You call Cappellano Seminara.
WIRETAPPED PHONE CALL
BETWEEN SILVANA SAGUTO
AND CAPPELLANO SEMINARA
[Saguto] Listen, when can I see you?
Can you come to the house?
- [Seminara] If you let me.
- [Saguto] Yes, that's better.
[Seminara] I ha I have the document.
- [Saguto] Okay, I'm here.
- [Seminara] I'd rather not talk about it.
[Saguto] Perfect.
Why was it one minute after
your husband called
to tell you about Banca Nuova,
that the first thing that you did
was call Cappellano?
Because I couldn't care less
about Banca Nuova.
It was inconvenient
that I had a problem with the bank, yes,
but it wasn't serious.
So I focused on what I needed to do,
which was get hold of Cappellano
for those damned documents he had for me.
I'd also like to know,
when you say "documents,"
what exactly are you referring to?
When I say "money," I mean money.
When I say "documents," I mean documents.
Proof is proof. It's unambiguous.
If there's money, show me the money.
You can't say,
"Here it says 'documents, '
that could mean 'money.'"
Even if we'd say "money,"
it would make no sense.
It makes no sense.
That said, ma'am,
can you explain to me why
the following day, on the 30th of June,
there were four cash deposits,
three at Banca Nuova and one at UniCredit?
The ones at Banca Nuova
were for 3,000, 2,000,
and another 3,000
occurring from July 1st to July 7th?
I can say that I spoke with my father,
other than that, I don't know
how the money was deposited.
I know for a fact
that I asked my father for it,
and he saw to it somehow.
In the end, he transferred
a large amount to settle the matter.
When you refer to your father,
do you usually call him "that guy"?
- Yes, I might say that.
- "Yes, I might say that."
I might,
it may not be very gracious, but I might.
If police investigations found
that Lawyer Cappellano Seminara
had brought and delivered sums of money
at 10:30 p.m. to Saguto,
I think that the most basic
and logical police procedure
would have required, at the very least,
an immediate search
and possible seizure
of the amount of money
Seminara was allegedly bringing to Saguto.
No money was delivered.
It was a document
about the renovation of a hotel,
which makes sense
given the date in question.
CAPPELLANO SEMINARA'S LAWYER
I wanted to show you a document,
which I'm asking to present as evidence.
Was this the document
that Lawyer Cappellano brought
that evening?
Yes, yes, that's it.
The famous document of all our labors.
[Monaco] Thank you.
No further questions.
[Pino] Let's go.
[Saguto] When Maniaci left,
he said something that
one of my public defenders heard, he said,
"Fine, I get it.
They'll all be acquitted."
I don't know if he was upset about it.
He should be, just like everyone,
everyone who wants the truth to come out.
He shouldn't just want a conviction
one way or the other.
[Pietro] When I saw Saguto
sitting on the other side of the stand
[sighs]
I didn't think she felt
the way she had made us feel.
She will never feel how we felt.
At least she is getting a fair trial.
The people who were victims
of preventive measures
never got that opportunity.
We're not ashamed of our name,
and we know that in the business world,
Cavallotti doesn't mean Mafia.
It means people who were victims,
first of the Mafia
and then of a certain anti-Mafia.
[sinister music playing]
MAY 2019
[reporter] Murder in Belmonte Mezzagno.
Antonio Di Liberto was killed
this morning by multiple gunshots.
Di Liberto didn't have
any previous convictions,
but his cousin
is the informant Filippo Bisconti,
the man who facilitated
the arrest of several Mafia members.
The initial reports suggest this may be
a message sent to the informant
through the killing of a relative.
We're standing
at the site of the shooting,
the investigators say, "By the Mafia."
Antonio Di Liberto, 49 years old,
an accountant in Belmonte Messagno.
The Cavallottis were also his clients.
The Mafia are the first to be blamed
because then the investigators look good.
We're confident that the Mafia
has nothing to do with this.
TWO WEEKS LATER
FILIPPO BISCONTI, INFORMAN
AND FORMER MAFIA BOSS IN BELMONTE
MAKES NEW ALLEGATIONS
[Saguto] "Informant against
the Cavallottis."
"The sons were front men
for their fathers."
I've known the Cavallottis
since we were kids,
and I know that they were mafiosos.
Maniaci is defending the Cavallottis.
I think the only way he can respond
to this article is staying quiet.
If he defends them again,
I think he could get arrested
for aiding and abetting.
[Pino] This is all science-fiction.
How did this informant
come into being after 20 years?
When the prosecutor's office
finds itself in trouble,
it starts performing magic.
Generally, mafiosos
abide by the code of silence.
The Cavallottis
have been shouting for 20 years.
In general, those who shout are innocent.
Rather than "heirs," we say "children"
because in this trial, we're not
The Cavallottis were nobodies.
They couldn't have achieved what they did
without help from the Mafia.
[dramatic music playing]
[Pietro] I was shocked
when I read Bisconti's statements.
I think that Mr. Bisconti
made these statements
because he was tired of being in jail.
I don't know who this is or what he did,
because Mr. Bisconti,
I didn't know what he did.
I don't know. We've never had
a relationship with this person because
that kind of person makes me sick.
They're scum.
[ominous music playing]
JUNE 2019
IN MANIACI'S TRIAL, THE PROSECUTION CALLS
ITS LAST WITNESS, MAJOR DE CHIRICO
It was nine and a half.
[Parrino] De Chirico was the commander
at the Carabinieri Station in Partinico.
The prosecution is trying
to use De Chirico
to prove that Maniaci is an extortionist.
Thanks.
[Parrino] Above all,
De Chirico manages all the wiretaps.
It's tough to prepare for this
because it's about officials
in the Carabinieri
and the district attorney's office
in Palermo.
We're not naive.
Pino Maniaci knows that this isn't a joke
and that it could go very badly.
[Pino] They say that they followed me
and listened to me for three years.
I was recorded.
I was followed, tailed, you know
They even knew the most intimate
and personal things about me.
And they couldn't find one fucking crime!
So Captain De Chirico
had to make something up
to take me to trial
and even ask for my arrest.
[Parrino] For us,
De Chirico is someone
that we'll try to present to the judge
as the mastermind
of an unjustified operation.
MANIACI'S TRIAL
EXTORTION CHARGE
WITNESS: DE CHIRICO
MAJOR
[suspenseful music playing]
I don't think
even Totò Riina had this much.
These investigations started
when today's defendant
entered Mayor De Luca's office,
and, let's say, took some money.
We couldn't understand why,
if he was attacking
the mayor on television,
why would he ask him, the same person
that he had previously attacked,
for money?
[Ingroia] So, Mr. Ingroia,
Maniaci's attorney.
Listen, did you get hold of the video
of the Telejato broadcasts,
the news, any of that?
We've identified
what's relevant to the case.
Great. How many did you get roughly,
five, ten, twenty?
I I don't remember
the number specifically,
but we got around four or five videos.
The question is if the changes
to Telejato's editorial objectives
were investigated
following his alleged receipt
of this money. This is the question.
Not necessarily.
Major, in regard to the videos
you watched,
to see if this extortion took place,
did you check to see if,
after the money was handed over,
Maniaci stopped talking about the Mafia?
If after the rehiring,
did Maniaci stop attacking Lo Biundo?
Did you investigate this or not?
It seems
like a clear enough question, Major.
- Look, what do you want me to say?
- Well, tell me what you have to say!
[De Chirico] I already
answered the question.
Tell me again. I didn't follow.
It's clear, Major,
that to answer this question,
you need to have watched all the reports
over a period of time. Did you do that?
No, we just watched
what was relevant to the case.
We have archives with hundreds
of reports against the mayor of Borgetto,
and not even one is in his favor.
Not even one.
The local politicians
should all be put out to pasture.
I challenge anyone
to find a report
where we've said
that this administration works,
that this administration is functional.
Day after day,
we continue to discover bad practices
carried out by this administration.
They have fuck all on me.
This is the proof.
But the prosecution didn't need it.
They just want to smear shit on me
with these questions
about my private life. That's it.
Now, as for the investigations
pertaining to today's trial,
tell me, in relation to number 5128,
who is this woman?
Shit. This? Really?
So, on November 28th, 2014,
in the evening,
we wiretapped a phone call.
From the tone of the call, it was clear
that the husband was mad, angry
because he was asking today's defendant
not to contact his wife anymore.
WIRETAPPED PHONE CALL
BETWEEN PINO MANIACI
AND HIS LOVER'S HUSBAND
[man] I'll run you over with my car.
I'll kill you.
I don't give a shit if I'm arrested.
I'm not scared of you, Pino.
- [Pino] Bye. I'm eating right now. Bye.
- [man] Are you eating, Pino?
Better call the cops, I'm coming, Pino.
I'm coming to the office.
I'll beat your son Giovanni to death.
I'll beat all your children to death.
[Pino laughing]
Don't laugh, whoremonger,
that's what you are.
[Luise] So, tell me about the evidence
relating to the dogs that were hanged.
The day after the act of intimidation,
which was the two dogs
being hanged outside the TV station,
he called his colleagues, and he told them
it was organized crime that had done it,
or that it was linked
to his work as a journalist.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Pino] I know the Mafia.
They intimidate, they threaten.
They killed my dogs.
I'll forgive some things they did,
but what stings the most
was when they took it out on my dogs.
That really killed me.
From our investigations,
it was found that there were no threats
from organized crime
just from the lady's husband.
WIRETAPPED PHONE CALL
BETWEEN PINO AND HIS LOVER
DECEMBER 2014
[Pino] He killed my dogs tonight.
I'll kill him.
I swear I'll fucking kill him.
[shouting] I found my two dogs hanged,
what a swine!
[music builds, stops]
We wanted to have you here
to tell you that we're thinking of you.
This applause is for you
from everyone here
in the studio, as always.
In December, two years ago,
his dogs were tortured
and killed by persons unknown.
It seemed to be a threat from the Mafia.
Wiretaps revealed, however,
that it was not a threat from the Mafia
but from his lover's husband.
[Parrino] The story of the dogs came up.
The dogs being killed has nothing to do
with the charges against Pino,
and yet, he must be found guilty
in the eyes of the media
before a verdict is reached.
And why is that?
Because then, even if he is acquitted,
he will still suffer the consequences.
MAY 2016
Pino, the Carabinieri
also gave us other recordings.
The recording about the dogs
We're talking about the dogs,
so we can clear up
Let me finish. Let me finish.
The wiretap about
The dogs have nothing to do with it,
but he rightfully
explained it nonetheless.
This is a conversation
between him and this woman.
He was trying to get an upper hand
in their relationship,
by making her think
that her husband had killed his dogs.
It's obvious that this was a lie,
but so what?
Is lying to a woman a crime? [chuckles]
No. Is that what this has come to?
Pino Maniaci was considered
as an icon of the anti-Mafia movement.
PRIME MINISTER 2014- 2016
I gave him my support
after what seemed to be an attack,
a threat from the Mafia.
Of course, I wouldn't make
that phone call today,
it was a call in solidarity
against the Mafia.
- [drum playing]
- [people chatting]
JULY 2019
[Pino] Bravo, bravo.
Watch out for the chief of police!
[band music playing]
Now look here, look here, Chief.
[Ingroia] The truth is, in Italy,
and particularly in Sicily,
it's never black and white,
there are many, many shades of gray.
And you can
be morally reprehensible, sure
okay, but to be legally reprehensible,
you have to have committed
an actual crime.
Your saving grace
is your daughter, Letizia.
No doubts about that.
Of course, people were shocked
by everything at first,
but we've had three years
to explain what happened, and bit by bit
they've understood.
It's like a phoenix,
first, they die in the flames,
then they rise from the ashes.
And we're rising. What do you think?
Whatever you think.
[upbeat music playing]
[birds chirping]
[seagulls squawking]
NOVEMBER 2019
Our moment is here, we finished with all
the witnesses for the prosecution,
and we'll start hearing the witnesses
for the defense.
THE DEFENSE CALLS GIOACCHINO POLIZZI,
A POLITICIAN FROM BORGETTO
TO THE STAND
The prosecution
considers Gioacchino Polizzi
a victim of extortion,
but they decided not to call him,
saying that,
"The wiretap is so conclusive
that we don't need to hear him."
WIRETAPPED PHONE CALL
BETWEEN GIOACCHINO POLIZZI AND MAYOR DAVÌ
[phone ringing]
MAY 2013
[Polizzi, angry] He extorted me.
He wanted free t-shirts,
and three months rent on a house
that I had to pay out of my own pocket!
This is extortion!
I'll get ten lawyers and destroy Telejato.
Pino Maniaci told us that he had never
rented anything from Polizzi,
and he had never asked for any t-shirts.
It's in our interest
to ask Gioacchino Polizzi to clarify this.
MANIACI'S TRIAL
EXTORTION CHARGE
WITNESS: POLIZZI
Let's begin.
Gioacchino Polizzi, please take the stand.
[Parrino] Mr. Polizzi,
do you know a certain Mr. Davì?
- Of course, he was the mayor.
- [Parrino] He was also the mayor
I was in his cabinet.
Indeed. And in this wiretap,
it would seem that you are complaining
about some t-shirts
that you supplied to Pino Maniaci,
that Pino Maniaci never paid you for,
and some rent
that Pino Maniaci owed you in Borgetto.
I would like you to explain how
I don't remember the phone call
because it was so long ago.
I don't remember the rent at all
because I never let a house
to Pino Maniaci
because I don't own any houses.
[Parrino] Did you supply
any t-shirts to Pino Maniaci?
[Polizzi] Absolutely not.
So, since you don't remember
the phone call,
I'll read some of the things
that you said.
I've read them as well.
"He forced me to give him the house."
[Polizzi] I was forced
to give him the house.
I was forced to give him the t-shirts.
It's only Mafia when he says so!
Why me?
I've got nothing to do with these people.
I honestly don't remember
the call that well.
You go on to say, "This is extortion."
[Polizzi] This is extortion,
pure extortion!
He's a mafioso! He has extorted me!
Ma'am, I'm saying
that he didn't extort me.
[Polizzi] I'm Gioacchino Polizzi.
I have my own problems,
but nobody should fuck with me.
World War III is going to happen here.
Talk to Pino Maniaci. Understand?
"I'm going to start World War III,
and tell everybody"
If he was attacking me, I don't remember.
- What crimes did he commit?
- Maybe this phone call means something.
Or maybe we're imposing meaning.
I don't remember the call.
[Luise] But that's what you said.
Do you remember saying it?
On the phone, yes, maybe I said it
by accident. It just came out.
- I don't know. I don't remember. Ma'am.
- Okay.
- Thank you, Your Honor
- [judge] Okay.
In May 2013,
we did a report on the Borgetto Council
which called out Gioacchino Polizzi.
ELECTIONS AND MAFIA
[reporter] Borgetto is preparing
for local elections,
and three of the candidates for mayor
stink of Mafia,
it's like we're all one big family.
Polizzi is angry,
and he calls the then Mayor Davì
and says all these things about me,
and that's why they're trying to use
his words against me.
Is it possible that, at the time,
based on your anger at the TV report,
you said some things
that weren't true on the phone to Davì?
The meaning of the call?
Are we still talking about that?
- [Ingroia] Yes or no? Is that possible?
- Perhaps.
[Ingroia] No further questions.
- [judge] Fine, thank you.
- Thanks a lot.
While everyone else is backtracking,
pretending not to remember,
not owning up to the truth,
not telling the truth,
in the end, the only person
who had the courage
to say, "Pino Maniaci
extorted money from me," was me.
Gioacchino Polizzi is a business owner
and local politician.
Polizzi's story is important to show
how Maniaci's system works.
In 2013, I was running for mayor
and Polizzi was running with me.
Pino Maniaci started attacking
the candidates,
and in particular,
focused his attacks on my group.
A few months after I was elected,
Polizzi moved to the opposition,
and I lost my majority.
Pino Maniaci did not attack him at all,
in fact, he destroyed me.
Then our group was dissolved
because of suspected Mafia infiltration.
In the last elections,
Polizzi was running.
We saw that the TV station
wasn't attacking him.
Why? [laughs] It's obvious.
Here, it works like this,
if you work in politics,
you need to stay
on Pino Maniaci's good side.
Only then can you be a politician.
[tense music playing]
[Ingroia] The Maniaci trial
was mainly to cloud the issue.
If Pino Maniaci accuses Saguto,
but he is a criminal,
and Saguto is also indicted,
they are both indicted.
Which one of them is guilty,
and which one is innocent?
What's right, and what's wrong?
Both guilty?
- [sheep bells clanging]
- [sheep bleating]
Maybe they're both innocent.
[dramatic music playing]
AS SILVANA SAGUTO'S TRIAL DRAWS TO A CLOSE
JOURNALISTS FROM THE TABLOID NEWS PROGRAM
LE IENE INCREASE THE PRESSURE
NOVEMBER 2019
For the first time,
I was ambushed by journalists,
who instead of asking questions
or asking for an interview
were pushing insinuations.
They took the things
I allegedly did for granted
and were saying, "No, you did this,"
and I was so angry because I said,
"How do you know
whether I did these things?"
Until there's a sentence that proves it,
you can't say anything.
I'm still presumed innocent.
And now that we're getting close
to the verdict,
they want to somehow
manipulate public opinion
and, once again,
shine a spotlight on this trial
that was born from media influence,
from a media uproar
that was created on purpose.
LE IENE AIR FOUR REPORTS NATIONALLY
BROADCASTING THE RECORDINGS
OF SILVANA SAGUTO
[woman] Your husband doesn't have
experience with dockyards, does he?
- [Saguto] That's right.
- [woman] Okay, I'll give him the job.
[Lorenzo] They haven't paid.
[Saguto] Lorenzo, don't worry.
It's coming.
I'm absolutely furious, Elio.
I'll make him pay.
[Reina] What a nightmare.
Her world is collapsing around her.
Media influence
is one of the worst things
about our democracy.
They've already reached a verdict.
We believe and we hope
that the result of the trial
can give Silvana Saguto her dignity back,
restore her honor,
her decorum, and the authority
that she has lost.
[church bells ringing]
FEBRUARY 2020
[intense music playing]
THE PROSECUTION MAKES
ITS CLOSING ARGUMENTS
BY LAW THEY HAVE TO STATE
THEIR SELECTED SENTENCE
Following the closing statements,
the prosecutor's office
makes the following requests.
In regard to Silvana Saguto,
we ask that she be found guilty
of all charges,
and sentenced to 15 years
and 10 months in prison.
This request makes them look ridiculous.
They had already said
that they wanted to make an example of me.
They want the sentence
that the public is expecting.
It's no coincidence that the media frenzy
took place
just before the closing arguments.
They're playing to the masses.
- [eerie music playing]
- [clocks ticking]
I will only be satisfied
with a full acquittal.
I'll fight till the end
to make them understand
that what they've done to me
was done
to give the Mafia a chance to rise again.
[Pino] We'll see what happens,
because I have the impression
that these two trials
will end up finishing
at the same time.
But if Saguto gets more than ten years,
they might arrest her in the courtroom.
[dramatic music playing]
at the trial in Caltanissetta
concerning possible mismanagement
of seized Mafia assets.
Silvana Saguto, the former judge
accused of corruption,
has revealed a diary containing a list
of people she granted favor.
I don't know who she's blackmailing
with this book of hers,
that's what it is, blackmail.
I think she's in a position to blackmail
half of the Italian judiciary.
[Saguto] The notion that I meant
to threaten anyone with this diary
is absurd.
In reality,
the names were all business cards
given to me by my colleagues,
of people they trusted.
[Pino] Saguto thought
I was a piece of shit.
She said that I was paid or supported
by the Mafia to destroy her.
She's telling lies.
[Saguto] They told us
to tread carefully with Maniaci
JULY 2015
because we don't want him
to become a victim.
[Pino] She needs to explain
the meaning behind all these calls
we managed to wiretap.
[Saguto]
If those prosecutor's office fuckwits
had investigated Maniaci,
they would have already arrested him.
In those recordings,
Saguto shows how much she loves me.
[Saguto] To avoid making him a victim,
they need to be ready with to get out.
Or better, how much she wants me dead.
[Saguto] Don't worry.
I'm told his days are numbered.
[man] Who?
[Saguto] Him. Big moustache.
[Pino] Do you see how serious this is?
She should be ashamed!
A NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY SERIES
[rhythmical music playing]
[music fading out]
[phone ringing]
JULY 2015
[Saguto] I can see how he's friends
with everyone,
especially those kinds of people,
because as soon
as we shut down a business,
Telejato in Partinico gets involved.
He supports all the mafiosos,
to a certain extent.
BUSINESS OWNER PIETRO CAVALLOTTI
WAS ABLE TO GET THE WIRETAPS
USED IN SAGUTO'S TRIAL
[man] I told you they confirmed
the conviction for the Impastatos.
[Saguto] We're waiting
for the Cavallottis.
[Pietro] We knew that she
was persecuting us, and this proves it.
She was certain
she had to confiscate our business.
However, as I listened to the recordings,
I realized there were quite a few
that mentioned Pino Maniaci.
It was discussed almost daily.
He was called "ignorant,"
"an asshole," "a crook."
There are some shocking things in there.
In some conversations,
it almost appears that they were planning
to get rid of Pino Maniaci
through the courts,
and then Saguto asks,
"When will this news arrive?"
She's probably referring
to an investigation and trial
of Pino Maniaci.
I'm going to Caltanissetta
to see former Judge Saguto take the stand.
At the very least,
I expect that seeing me will ruin her day.
If she goes red in the face,
my job will be done.
[Pietro] We need to give
Pino Maniaci credit.
I've said it plenty of times.
If Pino Maniaci hadn't gotten involved,
if he hadn't told the truth
about what was going on,
what everyone knew,
but no one wanted to talk about,
Saguto would still be seated.
[music builds, stops]
So we should build
a statue of Pino Maniaci.
[dramatic music playing]
[horn honking]
SAGUTO TRIAL
CROSS-EXAMINATION OF SILVANA SAGUTO
[Pino] I need her to see me.
I need to annoy her.
When she saw Pino Maniaci, she looked like
she knew she was in for it.
Little Pino Maniaci
who brought down the queen of Palermo
and the whole preventive measures system.
[Pino] I went to Caltanissetta
to Silvana Saguto's trial
because on the first day,
she had put on a show about Pino Maniaci.
And so, of course, I wanted to be there
to to see if she would
put on a show for me.
Go ahead.
But they spoke about the €20,000
that Cappellano Seminara
took to Saguto's house.
[newscaster] The second hearing
of the Saguto trial in Caltanissetta
will focus on the cross-examination
of the former president
of the Preventive Measures Department
at the Court of Palermo.
The mystery of the documents
will be at the center
of the prosecutor's questioning.
[man] The most serious act
of alleged corruption
is the €20,000 that the lawyer Cappellano,
according to the prosecution,
gave to Saguto on June 30th in a suitcase.
SILVANA SAGUTO'S LAWYER
Twenty thousand euros, twenty!
That fits in a small packet.
The suitcase and the visit
at 10:30 at night
makes more sense
as the delivery of a document to Saguto.
[woman] Good morning, ma'am.
PUBLIC PROSECUTOR
In that series of days,
at the end of June in 2015,
do you remember if you or your family
had any financial deadlines?
[Saguto] We had some financial trouble,
but we weren't destitute.
We were never delinquent,
we weren't penniless.
WIRETAPPED CONVERSATION
BETWEEN SILVANA SAGUTO
AND CAPPELLANO SEMINARA
[Saguto] You don't understand.
I'm desperate. I have no money left.
[Seminara] I'll look into it.
[Saguto] If I don't pay
the American Express by the 30th,
I'll lose everything.
We're ruined. I'll have to sell the house.
All right, on the 30th of June,
your husband contacted you
to tell you
that Banca Nuova had called him.
We had an €8,000 loan with Banca Nuova.
About 40 seconds later,
you make another phone call.
You call Cappellano Seminara.
WIRETAPPED PHONE CALL
BETWEEN SILVANA SAGUTO
AND CAPPELLANO SEMINARA
[Saguto] Listen, when can I see you?
Can you come to the house?
- [Seminara] If you let me.
- [Saguto] Yes, that's better.
[Seminara] I ha I have the document.
- [Saguto] Okay, I'm here.
- [Seminara] I'd rather not talk about it.
[Saguto] Perfect.
Why was it one minute after
your husband called
to tell you about Banca Nuova,
that the first thing that you did
was call Cappellano?
Because I couldn't care less
about Banca Nuova.
It was inconvenient
that I had a problem with the bank, yes,
but it wasn't serious.
So I focused on what I needed to do,
which was get hold of Cappellano
for those damned documents he had for me.
I'd also like to know,
when you say "documents,"
what exactly are you referring to?
When I say "money," I mean money.
When I say "documents," I mean documents.
Proof is proof. It's unambiguous.
If there's money, show me the money.
You can't say,
"Here it says 'documents, '
that could mean 'money.'"
Even if we'd say "money,"
it would make no sense.
It makes no sense.
That said, ma'am,
can you explain to me why
the following day, on the 30th of June,
there were four cash deposits,
three at Banca Nuova and one at UniCredit?
The ones at Banca Nuova
were for 3,000, 2,000,
and another 3,000
occurring from July 1st to July 7th?
I can say that I spoke with my father,
other than that, I don't know
how the money was deposited.
I know for a fact
that I asked my father for it,
and he saw to it somehow.
In the end, he transferred
a large amount to settle the matter.
When you refer to your father,
do you usually call him "that guy"?
- Yes, I might say that.
- "Yes, I might say that."
I might,
it may not be very gracious, but I might.
If police investigations found
that Lawyer Cappellano Seminara
had brought and delivered sums of money
at 10:30 p.m. to Saguto,
I think that the most basic
and logical police procedure
would have required, at the very least,
an immediate search
and possible seizure
of the amount of money
Seminara was allegedly bringing to Saguto.
No money was delivered.
It was a document
about the renovation of a hotel,
which makes sense
given the date in question.
CAPPELLANO SEMINARA'S LAWYER
I wanted to show you a document,
which I'm asking to present as evidence.
Was this the document
that Lawyer Cappellano brought
that evening?
Yes, yes, that's it.
The famous document of all our labors.
[Monaco] Thank you.
No further questions.
[Pino] Let's go.
[Saguto] When Maniaci left,
he said something that
one of my public defenders heard, he said,
"Fine, I get it.
They'll all be acquitted."
I don't know if he was upset about it.
He should be, just like everyone,
everyone who wants the truth to come out.
He shouldn't just want a conviction
one way or the other.
[Pietro] When I saw Saguto
sitting on the other side of the stand
[sighs]
I didn't think she felt
the way she had made us feel.
She will never feel how we felt.
At least she is getting a fair trial.
The people who were victims
of preventive measures
never got that opportunity.
We're not ashamed of our name,
and we know that in the business world,
Cavallotti doesn't mean Mafia.
It means people who were victims,
first of the Mafia
and then of a certain anti-Mafia.
[sinister music playing]
MAY 2019
[reporter] Murder in Belmonte Mezzagno.
Antonio Di Liberto was killed
this morning by multiple gunshots.
Di Liberto didn't have
any previous convictions,
but his cousin
is the informant Filippo Bisconti,
the man who facilitated
the arrest of several Mafia members.
The initial reports suggest this may be
a message sent to the informant
through the killing of a relative.
We're standing
at the site of the shooting,
the investigators say, "By the Mafia."
Antonio Di Liberto, 49 years old,
an accountant in Belmonte Messagno.
The Cavallottis were also his clients.
The Mafia are the first to be blamed
because then the investigators look good.
We're confident that the Mafia
has nothing to do with this.
TWO WEEKS LATER
FILIPPO BISCONTI, INFORMAN
AND FORMER MAFIA BOSS IN BELMONTE
MAKES NEW ALLEGATIONS
[Saguto] "Informant against
the Cavallottis."
"The sons were front men
for their fathers."
I've known the Cavallottis
since we were kids,
and I know that they were mafiosos.
Maniaci is defending the Cavallottis.
I think the only way he can respond
to this article is staying quiet.
If he defends them again,
I think he could get arrested
for aiding and abetting.
[Pino] This is all science-fiction.
How did this informant
come into being after 20 years?
When the prosecutor's office
finds itself in trouble,
it starts performing magic.
Generally, mafiosos
abide by the code of silence.
The Cavallottis
have been shouting for 20 years.
In general, those who shout are innocent.
Rather than "heirs," we say "children"
because in this trial, we're not
The Cavallottis were nobodies.
They couldn't have achieved what they did
without help from the Mafia.
[dramatic music playing]
[Pietro] I was shocked
when I read Bisconti's statements.
I think that Mr. Bisconti
made these statements
because he was tired of being in jail.
I don't know who this is or what he did,
because Mr. Bisconti,
I didn't know what he did.
I don't know. We've never had
a relationship with this person because
that kind of person makes me sick.
They're scum.
[ominous music playing]
JUNE 2019
IN MANIACI'S TRIAL, THE PROSECUTION CALLS
ITS LAST WITNESS, MAJOR DE CHIRICO
It was nine and a half.
[Parrino] De Chirico was the commander
at the Carabinieri Station in Partinico.
The prosecution is trying
to use De Chirico
to prove that Maniaci is an extortionist.
Thanks.
[Parrino] Above all,
De Chirico manages all the wiretaps.
It's tough to prepare for this
because it's about officials
in the Carabinieri
and the district attorney's office
in Palermo.
We're not naive.
Pino Maniaci knows that this isn't a joke
and that it could go very badly.
[Pino] They say that they followed me
and listened to me for three years.
I was recorded.
I was followed, tailed, you know
They even knew the most intimate
and personal things about me.
And they couldn't find one fucking crime!
So Captain De Chirico
had to make something up
to take me to trial
and even ask for my arrest.
[Parrino] For us,
De Chirico is someone
that we'll try to present to the judge
as the mastermind
of an unjustified operation.
MANIACI'S TRIAL
EXTORTION CHARGE
WITNESS: DE CHIRICO
MAJOR
[suspenseful music playing]
I don't think
even Totò Riina had this much.
These investigations started
when today's defendant
entered Mayor De Luca's office,
and, let's say, took some money.
We couldn't understand why,
if he was attacking
the mayor on television,
why would he ask him, the same person
that he had previously attacked,
for money?
[Ingroia] So, Mr. Ingroia,
Maniaci's attorney.
Listen, did you get hold of the video
of the Telejato broadcasts,
the news, any of that?
We've identified
what's relevant to the case.
Great. How many did you get roughly,
five, ten, twenty?
I I don't remember
the number specifically,
but we got around four or five videos.
The question is if the changes
to Telejato's editorial objectives
were investigated
following his alleged receipt
of this money. This is the question.
Not necessarily.
Major, in regard to the videos
you watched,
to see if this extortion took place,
did you check to see if,
after the money was handed over,
Maniaci stopped talking about the Mafia?
If after the rehiring,
did Maniaci stop attacking Lo Biundo?
Did you investigate this or not?
It seems
like a clear enough question, Major.
- Look, what do you want me to say?
- Well, tell me what you have to say!
[De Chirico] I already
answered the question.
Tell me again. I didn't follow.
It's clear, Major,
that to answer this question,
you need to have watched all the reports
over a period of time. Did you do that?
No, we just watched
what was relevant to the case.
We have archives with hundreds
of reports against the mayor of Borgetto,
and not even one is in his favor.
Not even one.
The local politicians
should all be put out to pasture.
I challenge anyone
to find a report
where we've said
that this administration works,
that this administration is functional.
Day after day,
we continue to discover bad practices
carried out by this administration.
They have fuck all on me.
This is the proof.
But the prosecution didn't need it.
They just want to smear shit on me
with these questions
about my private life. That's it.
Now, as for the investigations
pertaining to today's trial,
tell me, in relation to number 5128,
who is this woman?
Shit. This? Really?
So, on November 28th, 2014,
in the evening,
we wiretapped a phone call.
From the tone of the call, it was clear
that the husband was mad, angry
because he was asking today's defendant
not to contact his wife anymore.
WIRETAPPED PHONE CALL
BETWEEN PINO MANIACI
AND HIS LOVER'S HUSBAND
[man] I'll run you over with my car.
I'll kill you.
I don't give a shit if I'm arrested.
I'm not scared of you, Pino.
- [Pino] Bye. I'm eating right now. Bye.
- [man] Are you eating, Pino?
Better call the cops, I'm coming, Pino.
I'm coming to the office.
I'll beat your son Giovanni to death.
I'll beat all your children to death.
[Pino laughing]
Don't laugh, whoremonger,
that's what you are.
[Luise] So, tell me about the evidence
relating to the dogs that were hanged.
The day after the act of intimidation,
which was the two dogs
being hanged outside the TV station,
he called his colleagues, and he told them
it was organized crime that had done it,
or that it was linked
to his work as a journalist.
[suspenseful music playing]
[Pino] I know the Mafia.
They intimidate, they threaten.
They killed my dogs.
I'll forgive some things they did,
but what stings the most
was when they took it out on my dogs.
That really killed me.
From our investigations,
it was found that there were no threats
from organized crime
just from the lady's husband.
WIRETAPPED PHONE CALL
BETWEEN PINO AND HIS LOVER
DECEMBER 2014
[Pino] He killed my dogs tonight.
I'll kill him.
I swear I'll fucking kill him.
[shouting] I found my two dogs hanged,
what a swine!
[music builds, stops]
We wanted to have you here
to tell you that we're thinking of you.
This applause is for you
from everyone here
in the studio, as always.
In December, two years ago,
his dogs were tortured
and killed by persons unknown.
It seemed to be a threat from the Mafia.
Wiretaps revealed, however,
that it was not a threat from the Mafia
but from his lover's husband.
[Parrino] The story of the dogs came up.
The dogs being killed has nothing to do
with the charges against Pino,
and yet, he must be found guilty
in the eyes of the media
before a verdict is reached.
And why is that?
Because then, even if he is acquitted,
he will still suffer the consequences.
MAY 2016
Pino, the Carabinieri
also gave us other recordings.
The recording about the dogs
We're talking about the dogs,
so we can clear up
Let me finish. Let me finish.
The wiretap about
The dogs have nothing to do with it,
but he rightfully
explained it nonetheless.
This is a conversation
between him and this woman.
He was trying to get an upper hand
in their relationship,
by making her think
that her husband had killed his dogs.
It's obvious that this was a lie,
but so what?
Is lying to a woman a crime? [chuckles]
No. Is that what this has come to?
Pino Maniaci was considered
as an icon of the anti-Mafia movement.
PRIME MINISTER 2014- 2016
I gave him my support
after what seemed to be an attack,
a threat from the Mafia.
Of course, I wouldn't make
that phone call today,
it was a call in solidarity
against the Mafia.
- [drum playing]
- [people chatting]
JULY 2019
[Pino] Bravo, bravo.
Watch out for the chief of police!
[band music playing]
Now look here, look here, Chief.
[Ingroia] The truth is, in Italy,
and particularly in Sicily,
it's never black and white,
there are many, many shades of gray.
And you can
be morally reprehensible, sure
okay, but to be legally reprehensible,
you have to have committed
an actual crime.
Your saving grace
is your daughter, Letizia.
No doubts about that.
Of course, people were shocked
by everything at first,
but we've had three years
to explain what happened, and bit by bit
they've understood.
It's like a phoenix,
first, they die in the flames,
then they rise from the ashes.
And we're rising. What do you think?
Whatever you think.
[upbeat music playing]
[birds chirping]
[seagulls squawking]
NOVEMBER 2019
Our moment is here, we finished with all
the witnesses for the prosecution,
and we'll start hearing the witnesses
for the defense.
THE DEFENSE CALLS GIOACCHINO POLIZZI,
A POLITICIAN FROM BORGETTO
TO THE STAND
The prosecution
considers Gioacchino Polizzi
a victim of extortion,
but they decided not to call him,
saying that,
"The wiretap is so conclusive
that we don't need to hear him."
WIRETAPPED PHONE CALL
BETWEEN GIOACCHINO POLIZZI AND MAYOR DAVÌ
[phone ringing]
MAY 2013
[Polizzi, angry] He extorted me.
He wanted free t-shirts,
and three months rent on a house
that I had to pay out of my own pocket!
This is extortion!
I'll get ten lawyers and destroy Telejato.
Pino Maniaci told us that he had never
rented anything from Polizzi,
and he had never asked for any t-shirts.
It's in our interest
to ask Gioacchino Polizzi to clarify this.
MANIACI'S TRIAL
EXTORTION CHARGE
WITNESS: POLIZZI
Let's begin.
Gioacchino Polizzi, please take the stand.
[Parrino] Mr. Polizzi,
do you know a certain Mr. Davì?
- Of course, he was the mayor.
- [Parrino] He was also the mayor
I was in his cabinet.
Indeed. And in this wiretap,
it would seem that you are complaining
about some t-shirts
that you supplied to Pino Maniaci,
that Pino Maniaci never paid you for,
and some rent
that Pino Maniaci owed you in Borgetto.
I would like you to explain how
I don't remember the phone call
because it was so long ago.
I don't remember the rent at all
because I never let a house
to Pino Maniaci
because I don't own any houses.
[Parrino] Did you supply
any t-shirts to Pino Maniaci?
[Polizzi] Absolutely not.
So, since you don't remember
the phone call,
I'll read some of the things
that you said.
I've read them as well.
"He forced me to give him the house."
[Polizzi] I was forced
to give him the house.
I was forced to give him the t-shirts.
It's only Mafia when he says so!
Why me?
I've got nothing to do with these people.
I honestly don't remember
the call that well.
You go on to say, "This is extortion."
[Polizzi] This is extortion,
pure extortion!
He's a mafioso! He has extorted me!
Ma'am, I'm saying
that he didn't extort me.
[Polizzi] I'm Gioacchino Polizzi.
I have my own problems,
but nobody should fuck with me.
World War III is going to happen here.
Talk to Pino Maniaci. Understand?
"I'm going to start World War III,
and tell everybody"
If he was attacking me, I don't remember.
- What crimes did he commit?
- Maybe this phone call means something.
Or maybe we're imposing meaning.
I don't remember the call.
[Luise] But that's what you said.
Do you remember saying it?
On the phone, yes, maybe I said it
by accident. It just came out.
- I don't know. I don't remember. Ma'am.
- Okay.
- Thank you, Your Honor
- [judge] Okay.
In May 2013,
we did a report on the Borgetto Council
which called out Gioacchino Polizzi.
ELECTIONS AND MAFIA
[reporter] Borgetto is preparing
for local elections,
and three of the candidates for mayor
stink of Mafia,
it's like we're all one big family.
Polizzi is angry,
and he calls the then Mayor Davì
and says all these things about me,
and that's why they're trying to use
his words against me.
Is it possible that, at the time,
based on your anger at the TV report,
you said some things
that weren't true on the phone to Davì?
The meaning of the call?
Are we still talking about that?
- [Ingroia] Yes or no? Is that possible?
- Perhaps.
[Ingroia] No further questions.
- [judge] Fine, thank you.
- Thanks a lot.
While everyone else is backtracking,
pretending not to remember,
not owning up to the truth,
not telling the truth,
in the end, the only person
who had the courage
to say, "Pino Maniaci
extorted money from me," was me.
Gioacchino Polizzi is a business owner
and local politician.
Polizzi's story is important to show
how Maniaci's system works.
In 2013, I was running for mayor
and Polizzi was running with me.
Pino Maniaci started attacking
the candidates,
and in particular,
focused his attacks on my group.
A few months after I was elected,
Polizzi moved to the opposition,
and I lost my majority.
Pino Maniaci did not attack him at all,
in fact, he destroyed me.
Then our group was dissolved
because of suspected Mafia infiltration.
In the last elections,
Polizzi was running.
We saw that the TV station
wasn't attacking him.
Why? [laughs] It's obvious.
Here, it works like this,
if you work in politics,
you need to stay
on Pino Maniaci's good side.
Only then can you be a politician.
[tense music playing]
[Ingroia] The Maniaci trial
was mainly to cloud the issue.
If Pino Maniaci accuses Saguto,
but he is a criminal,
and Saguto is also indicted,
they are both indicted.
Which one of them is guilty,
and which one is innocent?
What's right, and what's wrong?
Both guilty?
- [sheep bells clanging]
- [sheep bleating]
Maybe they're both innocent.
[dramatic music playing]
AS SILVANA SAGUTO'S TRIAL DRAWS TO A CLOSE
JOURNALISTS FROM THE TABLOID NEWS PROGRAM
LE IENE INCREASE THE PRESSURE
NOVEMBER 2019
For the first time,
I was ambushed by journalists,
who instead of asking questions
or asking for an interview
were pushing insinuations.
They took the things
I allegedly did for granted
and were saying, "No, you did this,"
and I was so angry because I said,
"How do you know
whether I did these things?"
Until there's a sentence that proves it,
you can't say anything.
I'm still presumed innocent.
And now that we're getting close
to the verdict,
they want to somehow
manipulate public opinion
and, once again,
shine a spotlight on this trial
that was born from media influence,
from a media uproar
that was created on purpose.
LE IENE AIR FOUR REPORTS NATIONALLY
BROADCASTING THE RECORDINGS
OF SILVANA SAGUTO
[woman] Your husband doesn't have
experience with dockyards, does he?
- [Saguto] That's right.
- [woman] Okay, I'll give him the job.
[Lorenzo] They haven't paid.
[Saguto] Lorenzo, don't worry.
It's coming.
I'm absolutely furious, Elio.
I'll make him pay.
[Reina] What a nightmare.
Her world is collapsing around her.
Media influence
is one of the worst things
about our democracy.
They've already reached a verdict.
We believe and we hope
that the result of the trial
can give Silvana Saguto her dignity back,
restore her honor,
her decorum, and the authority
that she has lost.
[church bells ringing]
FEBRUARY 2020
[intense music playing]
THE PROSECUTION MAKES
ITS CLOSING ARGUMENTS
BY LAW THEY HAVE TO STATE
THEIR SELECTED SENTENCE
Following the closing statements,
the prosecutor's office
makes the following requests.
In regard to Silvana Saguto,
we ask that she be found guilty
of all charges,
and sentenced to 15 years
and 10 months in prison.
This request makes them look ridiculous.
They had already said
that they wanted to make an example of me.
They want the sentence
that the public is expecting.
It's no coincidence that the media frenzy
took place
just before the closing arguments.
They're playing to the masses.
- [eerie music playing]
- [clocks ticking]
I will only be satisfied
with a full acquittal.
I'll fight till the end
to make them understand
that what they've done to me
was done
to give the Mafia a chance to rise again.
[Pino] We'll see what happens,
because I have the impression
that these two trials
will end up finishing
at the same time.
But if Saguto gets more than ten years,
they might arrest her in the courtroom.
[dramatic music playing]