Luciano Violante

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Luciano Violante (born 25 September 1941) is an Italian judge and politician, deputy since 1979.

[edit] Biography

Violante was born in Dire Daua (Ethiopia).

Graduated in jurisprudence at University of Bari in 1963, he entered magistrature in 1966 and became professor of public law at University of Turin in 1970. Later he held the position of full professor at University of Camerino. He indicted Edgardo Sogno in 1974 for having planned the Golpe bianco, but had to released him in 1978, declaring it impossible to prosecute him.

He was named investigative magistrate in Turin in 1979, and then worked at the Justice Minister on counter-terrorism matters. He took membership in the Italian Communist Party (PCI) in 1979 and was immediately elected deputy. Following the split of the PCI, he entered in 1991 the Democratic Party of the Left (PDS). He then took part to the Parliamentary Commission on Aldo Moro's 1978 assassination as well as on the Antimafia Commission. He was the one to receive Tommasso Buscetta's confession concerning the terzo livello (third level) of the mafia, which included the politics world. He was elected president of the Chamber of Deputies on May 10, 1996 and remained so until May 29, 2001. Re-elected at the 2001 election, he was named president of the Olive Tree-Democrats of the Left parliamentary group. Confirmed in his functions during the April 2006 election, he is currently president of the Commission relative to constitutional matters.