Sentences handed out in exchange for money, trips, and luxury gifts. This is the accusation that led to the suspension of three justices of the peace serving at the Court of Santa Maria Capua Vetere, in the Caserta area. They were involved in an investigation coordinated by the Rome Prosecutor's Office into an alleged network of civil cases related to traffic accidents that never occurred or were fraudulently reconstructed.
The measures were carried out by the State Police and the Guardia di Finanza against seven suspects, including honorary magistrates and lawyers. The three justices of the peace were suspended from public office for one year. One lawyer was placed under house arrest, while three other lawyers were temporarily banned from practicing law, also for one year.
According to investigators from the Caserta Flying Squad and the Financial Police Unit of the Guardia di Finanza, the lawyers allegedly managed the entire process of the alleged false claims, constructing compensation claims to bring before judges deemed compliant. In exchange, the honorary magistrates received "money," "travel vouchers," and "designer bags," considered the price of favorable rulings.
The investigations revealed a recurring pattern. The accidents, while formally different in terms of locations, dates, and people involved, exhibited similar dynamics and repeated anomalies. Among the most frequent patterns were collisions with pedestrians at crosswalks or with cyclists, sometimes even tandems, all sharing one common thread: the failure of law enforcement to intervene on the scene, a detail that made it easier to construct versions of events that were difficult to verify.
Investigators claim that a key role in the scheme was also played by relationships with technical consultants appointed by judges and with doctors and lawyers appointed by insurance companies, with the aim of obtaining favorable assessments and consolidating compensation claims deemed fictitious.
The preliminary investigations judge of the Court of Rome has also ordered a precautionary seizure of over €300 against the suspects, an amount believed to be the proceeds of the alleged illegal activities. This investigation shakes up the honorary justice system and shines a renewed spotlight on a system that, if confirmed, would have transformed the courtroom into a hub for contrived deals.
Following the searches carried out last May, the investigating judge of the Rome Court Angela Gerardi has issued a series of precautionary measures, notified in the last few hours.
They have been suspended for one year from the exercise of public functions the justices of the peace:
Consultations in exchange for favors: how justices of the peace manipulated sentences
Naples – Appointments as court-appointed technical consultants in exchange for illicit assistance in passing a public competition. This is one of the issues that emerged from the investigation into rigged sentences at the Justice of the Peace office of the Court of Santa Maria Capua Vetere, which led to the suspension of three magistrates by order of the Court of Rome, granting the requests…
The announced demonstration by the legal profession on the crisis facing Justice of the Peace offices—the first district assembly in which the profession has taken the field in a united and cohesive manner—took place yesterday, Friday, December 13, at the former Garibaldi Barracks, currently the headquarters of the Naples Justice of the Peace Office. The Bar Councils were present…
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Comments (1)
I don't know if it's right for justices of the peace to be suspended for this reason. It's strange to think there's a flurry of fictitious cases, but sometimes you never know what really happens in courtrooms. It's complicated.