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 served as a minister in the government of Romano Prodi. He was also a Senator and a Member of the European Parliament. He became well-known as a prosecutor during the Mani pulite (meaning "Clean Hands") investigations in the early 1990s, which looked into political corruption.
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A Judge Investigates Corruption
Antonio Di Pietro was born in Montenero di Bisaccia, a small town in southern Italy. His family was not wealthy. When he was young, he traveled to Germany to work in a factory and a sawmill. He did this to earn money for his studies. He later earned a law degree in Italy in 1978 and became a police officer. After a few years, he began his career as a judge, specifically a prosecutor.
The "Clean Hands" Investigations
In February 1992, Di Pietro started looking into cases of corruption in Milan. This involved politicians and business leaders who were taking illegal payments. He worked with other important judges on the Mani pulite ("Clean Hands") team. This team investigated many cases of political corruption.
They looked into hundreds of local and national politicians. The Italian news called these investigations "Tangentopoli" (which means "Bribesville"). Di Pietro became very popular because of his direct way of speaking and his strong attitude. He was known for trying to do what was right.
Using Technology in Court
Di Pietro was one of the first judges in Italy to use computers and visual presentations in his work. He was very interested in information technology (IT). He had trained as an electronics technician, which helped him use these tools. He still uses IT today, with his own blog and online talks.
He once famously said, "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." This shows his belief in doing things correctly.
Serving as a Minister
After the Mani pulite investigations, there were big changes in Italian politics. Antonio Di Pietro was asked to join Romano Prodi's new government. He became the Minister for Public Works. This role put him in charge of areas that had been affected by corruption.
In this job, he tried to start a large project to expand a major national highway. This plan caused strong protests from people living in those areas. Environmental groups also protested because the project would have damaged natural areas.
Starting a Political Career
After some time, Di Pietro decided to enter politics. He had previously said he wouldn't, because he didn't want to use his popularity from being a judge. However, he was elected to the Italian Senate. He won against a well-known journalist.
He then 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. He believed that many other parties were not doing enough to stop corruption.
Di Pietro also became a Member of the European Parliament in 2004. This meant he worked with politicians from across Europe. In 2006, he was again appointed Minister of Infrastructures by Romano Prodi.
He was a member of a group called the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe. He also worked on important committees in the European Parliament. He promised to work for laws that would limit how many times someone could be elected. He also wanted to stop people who had been found guilty of serious crimes from running for office.
In 2014, Antonio Di Pietro left the Italy of Values party and became an independent politician.
Online Videos
In December 2006, Di Pietro started making online videos, called a vidcast, on YouTube. From January 2007, he released these videos every week. In them, he talked about the topics being discussed by the government. This was one of the first times a government minister had a regular online video series.
Key Moments in His Career
- 1978: Graduated with a law degree.
- 1981: Became a judge.
- 1996: Served as Minister of Public Works.
- 1997: Became a Senator.
- Since 1998: Chairman of the 'Italia dei Valori' party.
- Since 1999: Became a Member of the European Parliament.
- 1999–2002: Chaired the delegation for relations with South America.
- 2002–2004: Chaired the Delegation for relations with Central Asia.
See also
In Spanish: Antonio Di Pietro para niños
