Antonio Di Pietro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Antonio Di Pietro
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| Minister of Infrastructure | |
| In office 17 May 2006 – 8 May 2008 |
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| Prime Minister | Romano Prodi |
| Deputy | Angelo Capodicasa |
| Preceded by | Pietro Lunardi |
| Succeeded by | Altero Matteoli |
| Minister of Public Works | |
| In office 17 May 1996 – 20 November 1996 |
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| Prime Minister | Romano Prodi |
| Deputy | Antonio Bargone Gianni Francesco Mattioli |
| Preceded by | Paolo Baratta |
| Succeeded by | Paolo Costa |
| Member of the Chamber of Deputies | |
| In office 28 April 2006 – 14 March 2013 |
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| Member of the European Parliament | |
| In office 20 July 1999 – 27 April 2006 |
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| Member of the Senate | |
| In office 18 November 1997 – 29 May 2001 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | 2 October 1950 Montenero di Bisaccia, Italy |
| Political party | Independent (since 2014) |
| Other political affiliations |
Italy of Values (1998; 2001–2014) The Democrats (1999–2001) |
| Children | Cristiano, Antonio Giuseppe and Anna |
| Alma mater | University of Milan |
| Profession | Politician, lawyer, magistrate |
Antonio Di Pietro (born 2 October 1950) is an Italian politician, lawyer, and former judge. He has served as a minister in the Italian government, a Senator, and a Member of the European Parliament. He is well-known for his work as a prosecutor in the "Mani pulite" (Clean Hands) investigations in the early 1990s, which looked into political corruption.
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A Judge Fighting Corruption
Antonio Di Pietro was born in Montenero di Bisaccia, a small town in southern Italy. His family was not rich. When he was young, he worked in Germany to help pay for his education. He studied law at night school in Italy and became a police officer in 1978. After a few years, he started a career as a judge, working as a prosecutor. A prosecutor is a lawyer who works for the government. Their job is to bring people who might have broken the law to trial.
The "Clean Hands" Investigations
In 1992, Di Pietro began investigating politicians and business leaders in Milan for corruption. This means they were accused of taking illegal money or favors. He worked with other judges on a team called "Mani pulite", which means "Clean Hands". Their goal was to uncover political corruption.
The "Clean Hands" team investigated many politicians. The Italian newspapers called this investigation "Tangentopoli", which means "Bribesville". Di Pietro became very popular because of his direct way of speaking and his strong attitude. He was known for saying, "As a bricklayer I tried to build my walls straight, as a policeman I tried to arrest criminals, and as a judge I tried to bring people to trial when there was good reason to do so."
When the investigations started to focus on Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, Di Pietro faced a lot of pressure. This led him to leave his job as a judge.
Using Technology in Court
Di Pietro was one of the first judges in Italy to use computers and digital tools in his work. He used visual presentations to explain complex cases. This was new at the time and showed his interest in technology. Even today, he uses technology, like his blog and YouTube videos, to share his ideas.
Becoming a Government Minister
The "Clean Hands" investigations changed Italian politics a lot. After this, Antonio Di Pietro was asked to join the government. In 1996, he became the Minister of Public Works. This job involved managing big projects like roads and buildings, which had often been affected by corruption.
He tried to start a project to make a main motorway bigger. This plan caused protests from people living in the area and environmental groups.
Later, in 1997, Di Pietro himself was investigated about his past work as a police officer and judge. After a long time, he was found innocent of all charges. This meant he had done nothing wrong.
Starting a Political Career
After being cleared, Di Pietro decided to enter politics. He had said before that he didn't want to use his popularity for politics. But he felt it was his duty to continue fighting corruption.
He was elected to the Italian Senate. Then, he started his own political party called Italy of Values (Italia dei Valori). The main goal of his party was to fight against political corruption in Italy.
Di Pietro believed that many other political parties were not doing enough to stop corruption. In 2006, he was again appointed a minister. He became the Minister of Infrastructures in the government led by Romano Prodi.
He has always spoken out about important issues. For example, he promised to work for a law that would stop politicians from being elected more than twice in a row. He also wanted to prevent anyone who had been found guilty of serious crimes from becoming a candidate in elections. In 2014, he left the Italy of Values party and became an independent politician.
Sharing Ideas Online
In 2006, Antonio Di Pietro started a vidcast on YouTube. A vidcast is like a video podcast. He used it to talk about important topics and what the government was discussing each week. This was one of the first times a government minister in Italy used a regular video series to communicate with the public.
Career Highlights
- 1978: Graduated in law
- 1981: Became a judge (magistrate)
- 1996: Served as Minister of Public Works
- 1997: Became a Senator
- 1998: Became Chairman of the 'Italia dei Valori' party
- 1999: Became a Member of the European Parliament
See also
In Spanish: Antonio Di Pietro para niños
