Italian lawyer and politician (born 1966)
Giulia Bongiorno (born 22 March 1966) is an Italian lawyer and politician who served as the
Italian Minister of Public Administration from 1 June 2018 to 5 September 2019. A prominent criminal defense attorney, she has served in both houses of the Italian parliament: formerly a member of the
Chamber of Deputies from 2008 to 2013, she has served as a
Senator of the Italian Republic since 15 March 2018.
Background
A native of
Sicily ,
[1] Bongiorno (a relative of
Mike Bongiorno , the television host) studied at a
Liceo classico , before matriculating to the
University of Palermo , where she studied law.
[2]
Law career
As a lawyer, she first rose to fame with her defence of
Giulio Andreotti , the forty-first
Prime Minister of Italy , during his Mafia association trials.
[3]
[4]
[5] Bongiorno, then in her twenties, successfully defended the statesman in court over the next decade, through multiple appeals, finally culminating in a full acquittal before the
Supreme Court of Cassation in 2004.
[6]
[7] Her work in white-collar crime also brought her into contact with
Sergio Cragnotti , the former head of Italian food company
Cirio , whom she defended in a fraud case in 2008.
[8]
She then went on to defend well-known clients, such as
Ezio Greggio ,
Tiziano Ferro , and
Simone Pianigiani , in tax-related criminal proceedings.
[9] Bongiorno was also involved in cases with
Clementina Forleo and
Niccolò Ghedini ;
[10] as well as the acquittal of three
Google executives, including
David Drummond and
George Reyes of defamation, in a case involving a video showing students bullying a handicapped boy.
[11]
Her defense of Raffaele Sollecito, a college student, in the
murder trial of Meredith Kercher resulted in the acquittal of her client;
[12]
[13] the subsequent trials and acquittal of Sollecito's girlfriend,
Amanda Knox , went on to become a
cause célèbre in the United States.
[14]
[15]
[16]
In the wake of the
Costa Concordia disaster , she represented passengers suing the cruise line.
[17]
Bongiorno is also known for her work in sports law, representing clients ranging from fencer
Andrea Baldini , to footballers
Cristiano Doni and
Francesco Totti .
[18]
Political career
First elected to the
Chamber of Deputies in 2006 for the constituency of
Lazio , Bongiorno left the lower house in 2013, having been re-elected in the
snap election of 2008 .
[19] Originally a member of the
National Alliance , upon its dissolution, she joined its successor,
The People of Freedom , led by
Silvio Berlusconi . After Berlusconi split with
Gianfranco Fini in July 2010,
[20] she left as well,
[21] joining Fini's new
Future and Freedom party, becoming a spokesperson for Future and Freedom,
[22] and protesting against
Berlusconi's scandals .
[23]
After the
general election in 2018 , where she was elected
Senator for Sicily among the ranks of the
League ,
[24] she was seen a possible candidate for prime minister.
[25]
Political positions
Bongiorno is a chief architect of the 2009 law criminalising
stalking ;
[26] she has also denounced
femicide .
[27] In 2014, Bongiorno proposed that
housewives should be paid for their work, in order to strengthen their economic independence and advance their social dignity.
[26]
During her time in the lower house, Bongiorno shepherded a
wiretapping bill through Parliament; the
Italian Wikipedia protested by shutting down for a time. After punitive amendments were added, she disowned the bill entirely,
[28] and it ultimately failed to pass. In 2017, she rejected another version of the bill, saying that it contained ambiguities of language and imposed a burden on judges.
[29]
[30]
Minister of Public Administration
On 1 June 2018, Bongiorno became the
Italian Minister of Public Administration .
[31]
[32] With the fall of the cabinet during the
2019 Italian government crisis , and the subsequent establishment of the
Conte II Cabinet , Bongiorno ceased to be minister in early September 2019.
Other work
Bongiorno and
Michelle Hunziker established a nonprofit foundation in 2007, Doppia Difesa (Double Defense), to combat
discrimination ,
violence , and abuse against women.
[26] The foundation has, among other activities, begun public awareness campaigns (including with
Swarovski
[33] ), participated in conferences, and has received awards. The effectiveness of the foundation's efforts have been questioned.
[34]
See also
References
^ Follain, John (2011).
A death in Italy: the definitive account of the Amanda Knox case (1st U.S. ed.). New York: St. Martin's Press.
ISBN
978-1-250-02424-4 .
OCLC
780481524 .
^ Giovagnini, di Maria Laura (28 May 2013).
"Giulia Bongiorno: "Quel sì ad Andreotti mi ha emancipato" " . IoDonna (in Italian).
Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018 .
^ Donadio, Rachel (29 September 2008).
"Details Only Add to Puzzle in Umbrian Murder Case" . The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 .
Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018 .
^ Giuffrida, Angela (10 May 2018).
"Five Star and League move closer to forming Italian government" .
Archived from the original on 14 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018 .
^ Nadeau, Barbie Latza (2010).
Angel face: the true story of student killer Amanda Knox . New York: Beast Books.
ISBN
978-0-9842951-3-5 .
OCLC
526077004 .
^ Longrigg, Claire (1 March 2012).
"The Woman Who Saved Amanda Knox" . Marie Claire .
Archived from the original on 17 June 2018.
^ Krause-Jackson, Flavia (6 May 2013).
"Andreotti, Ex-Italian Premier Linked to Mafia, Dies at 94" . Bloomberg .
Archived from the original on 23 November 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2018 .
^ Sylvers, Eric (12 February 2004).
"Ex-Chairman of Italian Food Producer Is Arrested" .
The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 .
Archived from the original on 28 May 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2018 .
^
"Nel Governo Conte tre ministri siciliani: Bonafede, Bongiorno e Grillo" .
La Sicilia (in Italian). 31 May 2018.
Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018 .
^ Rubino, Monica (20 March 2018).
"Presidenze Camere, perché Giulia Bongiorno è una pillola amara per Berlusconi" . la Repubblica (in Italian).
Archived from the original on 23 April 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018 .
^ Willan, Phillip.
"Italian court overturns Google executives' privacy convictions" . PCWorld .
Archived from the original on 26 January 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2018 .
^ Povoledo, Elsabetta (27 March 2015).
"Amanda Knox Acquitted of 2007 Murder by Italy's Highest Court" . The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 .
Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018 .
^ Kirchgaessner, Stephanie (28 March 2015).
"Sollecito's formidable advocate cements reputation for winning tough cases" .
The Observer .
Archived from the original on 23 April 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018 .
^ Thomas, Patricia (13 December 2009).
"Jailed Amanda Knox tells AP that she's scared" . The Seattle Times .
Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018 .
^ Payne, Ed (2 July 2014).
"Amanda Knox's ex says there are anomalies in the case – CNN" . CNN.
Archived from the original on 7 June 2016. Retrieved 6 June 2018 .
^
Bassiouni, M. Cherif (2016). "Two Hypothetical Prospective Extradition Cause Célèbre: The Snowden and Knox Cases". In Acconci, Pia; Cattin, David; Marchesi, Antonio; Palmisano, Giuseppe; Santori, Victoria (eds.). International law and the protection of humanity: essays in honor of Flavia Lattanzi . Leiden. pp. 297–305.
ISBN
9789004269491 .
OCLC
956351381 . {{
cite book }}
: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (
link )
^ Pianigiani, Gaia (26 January 2012).
"Costa Concordia Captain Says He Was Ordered to Changed Course" . The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 .
Archived from the original on 17 February 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018 .
^ Kington, Tom (21 November 2010).
"Amanda Knox's appeal hopes rest on Italy's top female lawyer" . The Observer .
Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 6 June 2018 .
^
"Camera.it – XVI Legislatura – Deputati e Organi Parlamentari – Scheda deputato – BONGIORNO Giulia" . leg16.camera.it (in Italian).
Archived from the original on 20 July 2016. Retrieved 8 June 2018 .
^ Pianigiani, Gaia; Donadio, Rachel (30 July 2010).
"Berlusconi Splits With Ally, Fini, in Italy" . The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 .
Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018 .
^ Leavy, Ariel (6 June 2011).
"Basta Bunga Bunga" . The New Yorker .
Archived from the original on 5 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018 .
^
"Berlusconi facing second key vote" . BBC News . 14 December 2010.
Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018 .
^ Donadio, Rachel; Povoledo, Elisabetta (13 February 2011).
"Italian Women Take to Streets in Anger at Berlusconi" . The New York Times .
ISSN
0362-4331 .
Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018 .
^
"Andreotti lawyer Bongiorno in League run (3) – English" . ANSA.it . 18 January 2018.
Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018 .
^ Follain, John (10 May 2018).
"Italy's Populists See Significant Step Toward New Government" . Bloomberg .
Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2018 .
^
a
b
c Davies, Lizzy (7 March 2014).
"Italian campaigners call for housewives to be paid a salary" . The Guardian .
Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018 .
^ Bandelli, Daniela (2017). Femicide, Gender and Violence: Discourses and Counterdiscourses in Italy (1st ed.). Springer International.
ISBN
978-3-319-47785-5 .
OCLC
980287939 .
^ Day, Michael (7 October 2011).
"Wikipedia closes in Italy after Silvio Berlusconi 'gagging' bid" . The Independent .
Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 8 June 2018 .
^ AFP (6 November 2017).
"Italy wiretaps bill could aid mafia and harm press freedom, critics say" . The Local .
Archived from the original on 6 November 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2018 .
^
The Economist . Economist Newspaper Limited. 2011. p. 65.
Archived from the original on 17 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018 .
^ Winfield, Nicole (2 June 2018).
"Populists take helm of Italy's government" . Arkansas Democrat-Gazette . Retrieved 6 June 2018 .
^
"Western Europe's first populist government sworn into power" . CBS News . 1 June 2018.
Archived from the original on 3 June 2018. Retrieved 17 June 2018 .
^
"Swarovski con Doppia Difesa al fianco delle donne" .
Il Messaggero (in Italian). 22 May 2015. Retrieved 7 June 2018 .
^ Oricchio, Giada (26 January 2018).
" "Doppia Difesa" sotto accusa, l'indagine di Selvaggia Lucarelli imbarazza Hunziker e Bongiorno" .
Il Tempo (in Italian).
Archived from the original on 9 June 2018. Retrieved 7 June 2018 .
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