01x05 - Truth and Lies

[bunniefuu]

A dramatic turn of events

at the trial in Caltanissetta

concerning possible mismanagement

of seized Mafia assets.

Silvana Saguto, the former judge

accused of corruption,

has revealed a diary containing a list

of people she granted favor.

I don't know who she's blackmailing

with this book of hers,

that's what it is, blackmail.

I think she's in a position to blackmail

half of the Italian judiciary.

[Saguto] The notion that I meant

to threaten anyone with this diary

is absurd.

In reality,

the names were all business cards

given to me by my colleagues,

of people they trusted.

[Pino] Saguto thought

I was a piece of sh*t.

She said that I was paid or supported

by the Mafia to destroy her.

She's telling lies.

[Saguto] They told us

to tread carefully with Maniaci

JULY 2015

because we don't want him

to become a victim.

[Pino] She needs to explain

the meaning behind all these calls

we managed to wiretap.

[Saguto]

If those prosecutor's office f*ck

had investigated Maniaci,

they would have already arrested him.

In those recordings,

Saguto shows how much she loves me.

[Saguto] To avoid making him a victim,

they need to be ready with to get out.

Or better, how much she wants me dead.

[Saguto] Don't worry.

I'm told his days are numbered.

[man] Who?

[Saguto] Him. Big moustache.

[Pino] Do you see how serious this is?

She should be ashamed!

A NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY SERIES

[rhythmical music playing]

[music fading out]

[phone ringing]

JULY 2015

[Saguto] I can see how he's friends

with everyone,

especially those kinds of people,

because as soon

as we shut down a business,

Telejato in Partinico gets involved.

He supports all the mafiosos,

to a certain extent.

BUSINESS OWNER PIETRO CAVALLOTTI

WAS ABLE TO GET THE WIRETAPS

USED IN SAGUTO'S TRIAL

[man] I told you they confirmed

the conviction for the Impastatos.

[Saguto] We're waiting

for the Cavallottis.

[Pietro] We knew that she

was persecuting us, and this proves it.

She was certain

she had to confiscate our business.

However, as I listened to the recordings,

I realized there were quite a few

that mentioned Pino Maniaci.

It was discussed almost daily.

He was called "ignorant,"

"an as*h*le," "a crook."

There are some shocking things in there.

In some conversations,

it almost appears that they were planning

to get rid of Pino Maniaci

through the courts,

and then Saguto asks,

"When will this news arrive?"

She's probably referring

to an investigation and trial

of Pino Maniaci.

I'm going to Caltanissetta

to see former Judge Saguto take the stand.

At the very least,

I expect that seeing me will ruin her day.

If she goes red in the face,

my job will be done.

[Pietro] We need to give

Pino Maniaci credit.

I've said it plenty of times.

If Pino Maniaci hadn't gotten involved,

if he hadn't told the truth

about what was going on,

what everyone knew,

but no one wanted to talk about,

Saguto would still be seated.

[music builds, stops]

So we should build

a statue of Pino Maniaci.

[dramatic music playing]

[horn honking]

SAGUTO TRIAL

CROSS-EXAMINATION OF SILVANA SAGUTO

[Pino] I need her to see me.

I need to annoy her.

When she saw Pino Maniaci, she looked like

she knew she was in for it.

Little Pino Maniaci

who brought down the queen of Palermo

and the whole preventive measures system.

[Pino] I went to Caltanissetta

to Silvana Saguto's trial

because on the first day,

she had put on a show about Pino Maniaci.

And so, of course, I wanted to be there

to to see if she would

put on a show for me.

Go ahead.

But they spoke about the €20,000

that Cappellano Seminara

took to Saguto's house.

[newscaster] The second hearing

of the Saguto trial in Caltanissetta

will focus on the cross-examination

of the former president

of the Preventive Measures Department

at the Court of Palermo.

The mystery of the documents

will be at the center

of the prosecutor's questioning.

[man] The most serious act

of alleged corruption

is the €20,000 that the lawyer Cappellano,

according to the prosecution,

gave to Saguto on June 30th in a suitcase.

SILVANA SAGUTO'S LAWYER

Twenty thousand euros, twenty!

That fits in a small packet.

The suitcase and the visit

at 10:30 at night

makes more sense

as the delivery of a document to Saguto.

[woman] Good morning, ma'am.

PUBLIC PROSECUTOR

In that series of days,

at the end of June in 2015,

do you remember if you or your family

had any financial deadlines?

[Saguto] We had some financial trouble,

but we weren't destitute.

We were never delinquent,

we weren't penniless.

WIRETAPPED CONVERSATION

BETWEEN SILVANA SAGUTO

AND CAPPELLANO SEMINARA

[Saguto] You don't understand.

I'm desperate. I have no money left.

[Seminara] I'll look into it.

[Saguto] If I don't pay

the American Express by the 30th,

I'll lose everything.

We're ruined. I'll have to sell the house.

All right, on the 30th of June,

your husband contacted you

to tell you

that Banca Nuova had called him.

We had an €8,000 loan with Banca Nuova.

About 40 seconds later,

you make another phone call.

You call Cappellano Seminara.

WIRETAPPED PHONE CALL

BETWEEN SILVANA SAGUTO

AND CAPPELLANO SEMINARA

[Saguto] Listen, when can I see you?

Can you come to the house?

- [Seminara] If you let me.

- [Saguto] Yes, that's better.

[Seminara] I ha I have the document.

- [Saguto] Okay, I'm here.

- [Seminara] I'd rather not talk about it.

[Saguto] Perfect.

Why was it one minute after

your husband called

to tell you about Banca Nuova,

that the first thing that you did

was call Cappellano?

Because I couldn't care less

about Banca Nuova.

It was inconvenient

that I had a problem with the bank, yes,

but it wasn't serious.

So I focused on what I needed to do,

which was get hold of Cappellano

for those damned documents he had for me.

I'd also like to know,

when you say "documents,"

what exactly are you referring to?

When I say "money," I mean money.

When I say "documents," I mean documents.

Proof is proof. It's unambiguous.

If there's money, show me the money.

You can't say,

"Here it says 'documents, '

that could mean 'money.'"

Even if we'd say "money,"

it would make no sense.

It makes no sense.

That said, ma'am,

can you explain to me why

the following day, on the 30th of June,

there were four cash deposits,

three at Banca Nuova and one at UniCredit?

The ones at Banca Nuova

were for 3,000, 2,000,

and another 3,000

occurring from July 1st to July 7th?

I can say that I spoke with my father,

other than that, I don't know

how the money was deposited.

I know for a fact

that I asked my father for it,

and he saw to it somehow.

In the end, he transferred

a large amount to settle the matter.

When you refer to your father,

do you usually call him "that guy"?

- Yes, I might say that.

- "Yes, I might say that."

I might,

it may not be very gracious, but I might.

If police investigations found

that Lawyer Cappellano Seminara

had brought and delivered sums of money

at 10:30 p.m. to Saguto,

I think that the most basic

and logical police procedure

would have required, at the very least,

an immediate search

and possible seizure

of the amount of money

Seminara was allegedly bringing to Saguto.

No money was delivered.

It was a document

about the renovation of a hotel,

which makes sense

given the date in question.

CAPPELLANO SEMINARA'S LAWYER

I wanted to show you a document,

which I'm asking to present as evidence.

Was this the document

that Lawyer Cappellano brought

that evening?

Yes, yes, that's it.

The famous document of all our labors.

[Monaco] Thank you.

No further questions.

[Pino] Let's go.

[Saguto] When Maniaci left,

he said something that

one of my public defenders heard, he said,

"Fine, I get it.

They'll all be acquitted."

I don't know if he was upset about it.

He should be, just like everyone,

everyone who wants the truth to come out.

He shouldn't just want a conviction

one way or the other.

[Pietro] When I saw Saguto

sitting on the other side of the stand

[sighs]

I didn't think she felt

the way she had made us feel.

She will never feel how we felt.

At least she is getting a fair trial.

The people who were victims

of preventive measures

never got that opportunity.

We're not ashamed of our name,

and we know that in the business world,

Cavallotti doesn't mean Mafia.

It means people who were victims,

first of the Mafia

and then of a certain anti-Mafia.

[sinister music playing]

MAY 2019

[reporter] m*rder in Belmonte Mezzagno.

Antonio Di Liberto was k*lled

this morning by multiple g*nshots.

Di Liberto didn't have

any previous convictions,

but his cousin

is the informant Filippo Bisconti,

the man who facilitated

the arrest of several Mafia members.

The initial reports suggest this may be

a message sent to the informant

through the k*lling of a relative.

We're standing

at the site of the sh**ting,

the investigators say, "By the Mafia."

Antonio Di Liberto, 49 years old,

an accountant in Belmonte Messagno.

The Cavallottis were also his clients.

The Mafia are the first to be blamed

because then the investigators look good.

We're confident that the Mafia

has nothing to do with this.

TWO WEEKS LATER

FILIPPO BISCONTI, INFORMAN

AND FORMER MAFIA BOSS IN BELMONTE

MAKES NEW ALLEGATIONS

[Saguto] "Informant against

the Cavallottis."

"The sons were front men

for their fathers."

I've known the Cavallottis

since we were kids,

and I know that they were mafiosos.

Maniaci is defending the Cavallottis.

I think the only way he can respond

to this article is staying quiet.

If he defends them again,

I think he could get arrested

for aiding and abetting.

[Pino] This is all science-fiction.

How did this informant

come into being after 20 years?

When the prosecutor's office

finds itself in trouble,

it starts performing magic.

Generally, mafiosos

abide by the code of silence.

The Cavallottis

have been shouting for 20 years.

In general, those who shout are innocent.

Rather than "heirs," we say "children"

because in this trial, we're not

The Cavallottis were nobodies.

They couldn't have achieved what they did

without help from the Mafia.

[dramatic music playing]

[Pietro] I was shocked

when I read Bisconti's statements.

I think that Mr. Bisconti

made these statements

because he was tired of being in jail.

I don't know who this is or what he did,

because Mr. Bisconti,

I didn't know what he did.

I don't know. We've never had

a relationship with this person because

that kind of person makes me sick.

They're scum.

[ominous music playing]

JUNE 2019

IN MANIACI'S TRIAL, THE PROSECUTION CALLS

ITS LAST WITNESS, MAJOR DE CHIRICO

It was nine and a half.

[Parrino] De Chirico was the commander

at the Carabinieri Station in Partinico.

The prosecution is trying

to use De Chirico

to prove that Maniaci is an extortionist.

Thanks.

[Parrino] Above all,

De Chirico manages all the wiretaps.

It's tough to prepare for this

because it's about officials

in the Carabinieri

and the district attorney's office

in Palermo.

We're not naive.

Pino Maniaci knows that this isn't a joke

and that it could go very badly.

[Pino] They say that they followed me

and listened to me for three years.

I was recorded.

I was followed, tailed, you know

They even knew the most intimate

and personal things about me.

And they couldn't find one f*cking crime!

So Captain De Chirico

had to make something up

to take me to trial

and even ask for my arrest.

[Parrino] For us,

De Chirico is someone

that we'll try to present to the judge

as the mastermind

of an unjustified operation.

MANIACI'S TRIAL

EXTORTION CHARGE

WITNESS: DE CHIRICO

MAJOR

[suspenseful music playing]

I don't think

even Totò Riina had this much.

These investigations started

when today's defendant

entered Mayor De Luca's office,

and, let's say, took some money.

We couldn't understand why,

if he was attacking

the mayor on television,

why would he ask him, the same person

that he had previously attacked,

for money?

[Ingroia] So, Mr. Ingroia,

Maniaci's attorney.

Listen, did you get hold of the video

of the Telejato broadcasts,

the news, any of that?

We've identified

what's relevant to the case.

Great. How many did you get roughly,

five, ten, twenty?

I I don't remember

the number specifically,

but we got around four or five videos.

The question is if the changes

to Telejato's editorial objectives

were investigated

following his alleged receipt

of this money. This is the question.

Not necessarily.

Major, in regard to the videos

you watched,

to see if this extortion took place,

did you check to see if,

after the money was handed over,

Maniaci stopped talking about the Mafia?

If after the rehiring,

did Maniaci stop attacking Lo Biundo?

Did you investigate this or not?

It seems

like a clear enough question, Major.

- Look, what do you want me to say?

- Well, tell me what you have to say!

[De Chirico] I already

answered the question.

Tell me again. I didn't follow.

It's clear, Major,

that to answer this question,

you need to have watched all the reports

over a period of time. Did you do that?

No, we just watched

what was relevant to the case.

We have archives with hundreds

of reports against the mayor of Borgetto,

and not even one is in his favor.

Not even one.

The local politicians

should all be put out to pasture.

I challenge anyone

to find a report

where we've said

that this administration works,

that this administration is functional.

Day after day,

we continue to discover bad practices

carried out by this administration.

They have f*ck all on me.

This is the proof.

But the prosecution didn't need it.

They just want to smear sh*t on me

with these questions

about my private life. That's it.

Now, as for the investigations

pertaining to today's trial,

tell me, in relation to number 5128,

who is this woman?

sh*t. This? Really?

So, on November 28th, 2014,

in the evening,

we wiretapped a phone call.

From the tone of the call, it was clear

that the husband was mad, angry

because he was asking today's defendant

not to contact his wife anymore.

WIRETAPPED PHONE CALL

BETWEEN PINO MANIACI

AND HIS LOVER'S HUSBAND

[man] I'll run you over with my car.

I'll k*ll you.

I don't give a sh*t if I'm arrested.

I'm not scared of you, Pino.

- [Pino] Bye. I'm eating right now. Bye.

- [man] Are you eating, Pino?

Better call the cops, I'm coming, Pino.

I'm coming to the office.

I'll beat your son Giovanni to death.

I'll beat all your children to death.

[Pino laughing]

Don't laugh, whoremonger,

that's what you are.

[Luise] So, tell me about the evidence

relating to the dogs that were hanged.

The day after the act of intimidation,

which was the two dogs

being hanged outside the TV station,

he called his colleagues, and he told them

it was organized crime that had done it,

or that it was linked

to his work as a journalist.

[suspenseful music playing]

[Pino] I know the Mafia.

They intimidate, they threaten.

They k*lled my dogs.

I'll forgive some things they did,

but what stings the most

was when they took it out on my dogs.

That really k*lled me.

From our investigations,

it was found that there were no threats

from organized crime

just from the lady's husband.

WIRETAPPED PHONE CALL

BETWEEN PINO AND HIS LOVER

DECEMBER 2014

[Pino] He k*lled my dogs tonight.

I'll k*ll him.

I swear I'll f*cking k*ll him.

[shouting] I found my two dogs hanged,

what a swine!

[music builds, stops]

We wanted to have you here

to tell you that we're thinking of you.

This applause is for you

from everyone here

in the studio, as always.

In December, two years ago,

his dogs were tortured

and k*lled by persons unknown.

It seemed to be a threat from the Mafia.

Wiretaps revealed, however,

that it was not a threat from the Mafia

but from his lover's husband.

[Parrino] The story of the dogs came up.

The dogs being k*lled has nothing to do

with the charges against Pino,

and yet, he must be found guilty

in the eyes of the media

before a verdict is reached.

And why is that?

Because then, even if he is acquitted,

he will still suffer the consequences.

MAY 2016

Pino, the Carabinieri

also gave us other recordings.

The recording about the dogs

We're talking about the dogs,

so we can clear up

Let me finish. Let me finish.

The wiretap about

The dogs have nothing to do with it,

but he rightfully

explained it nonetheless.

This is a conversation

between him and this woman.

He was trying to get an upper hand

in their relationship,

by making her think

that her husband had k*lled his dogs.

It's obvious that this was a lie,

but so what?

Is lying to a woman a crime? [chuckles]

No. Is that what this has come to?

Pino Maniaci was considered

as an icon of the anti-Mafia movement.

PRIME MINISTER 2014- 2016

I gave him my support

after what seemed to be an attack,

a threat from the Mafia.

Of course, I wouldn't make

that phone call today,

it was a call in solidarity

against the Mafia.

- [drum playing]

- [people chatting]

JULY 2019

[Pino] Bravo, bravo.

Watch out for the chief of police!

[band music playing]

Now look here, look here, Chief.

[Ingroia] The truth is, in Italy,

and particularly in Sicily,

it's never black and white,

there are many, many shades of gray.

And you can

be morally reprehensible, sure

okay, but to be legally reprehensible,

you have to have committed

an actual crime.

Your saving grace

is your daughter, Letizia.

No doubts about that.

Of course, people were shocked

by everything at first,

but we've had three years

to explain what happened, and bit by bit

they've understood.

It's like a phoenix,

first, they die in the flames,

then they rise from the ashes.

And we're rising. What do you think?

Whatever you think.

[upbeat music playing]

[birds chirping]

[seagulls squawking]

NOVEMBER 2019

Our moment is here, we finished with all

the witnesses for the prosecution,

and we'll start hearing the witnesses

for the defense.

THE DEFENSE CALLS GIOACCHINO POLIZZI,

A POLITICIAN FROM BORGETTO

TO THE STAND

The prosecution

considers Gioacchino Polizzi

a victim of extortion,

but they decided not to call him,

saying that,

"The wiretap is so conclusive

that we don't need to hear him."

WIRETAPPED PHONE CALL

BETWEEN GIOACCHINO POLIZZI AND MAYOR DAVÌ

[phone ringing]

MAY 2013

[Polizzi, angry] He extorted me.

He wanted free t-shirts,

and three months rent on a house

that I had to pay out of my own pocket!

This is extortion!

I'll get ten lawyers and destroy Telejato.

Pino Maniaci told us that he had never

rented anything from Polizzi,

and he had never asked for any t-shirts.

It's in our interest

to ask Gioacchino Polizzi to clarify this.

MANIACI'S TRIAL

EXTORTION CHARGE

WITNESS: POLIZZI

Let's begin.

Gioacchino Polizzi, please take the stand.

[Parrino] Mr. Polizzi,

do you know a certain Mr. Davì?

- Of course, he was the mayor.

- [Parrino] He was also the mayor

I was in his cabinet.

Indeed. And in this wiretap,

it would seem that you are complaining

about some t-shirts

that you supplied to Pino Maniaci,

that Pino Maniaci never paid you for,

and some rent

that Pino Maniaci owed you in Borgetto.

I would like you to explain how

I don't remember the phone call

because it was so long ago.

I don't remember the rent at all

because I never let a house

to Pino Maniaci

because I don't own any houses.

[Parrino] Did you supply

any t-shirts to Pino Maniaci?

[Polizzi] Absolutely not.

So, since you don't remember

the phone call,

I'll read some of the things

that you said.

I've read them as well.

"He forced me to give him the house."

[Polizzi] I was forced

to give him the house.

I was forced to give him the t-shirts.

It's only Mafia when he says so!

Why me?

I've got nothing to do with these people.

I honestly don't remember

the call that well.

You go on to say, "This is extortion."

[Polizzi] This is extortion,

pure extortion!

He's a mafioso! He has extorted me!

Ma'am, I'm saying

that he didn't extort me.

[Polizzi] I'm Gioacchino Polizzi.

I have my own problems,

but nobody should f*ck with me.

World w*r III is going to happen here.

Talk to Pino Maniaci. Understand?

"I'm going to start World w*r III,

and tell everybody"

If he was attacking me, I don't remember.

- What crimes did he commit?

- Maybe this phone call means something.

Or maybe we're imposing meaning.

I don't remember the call.

[Luise] But that's what you said.

Do you remember saying it?

On the phone, yes, maybe I said it

by accident. It just came out.

- I don't know. I don't remember. Ma'am.

- Okay.

- Thank you, Your Honor

- [judge] Okay.

In May 2013,

we did a report on the Borgetto Council

which called out Gioacchino Polizzi.

ELECTIONS AND MAFIA

[reporter] Borgetto is preparing

for local elections,

and three of the candidates for mayor

stink of Mafia,

it's like we're all one big family.

Polizzi is angry,

and he calls the then Mayor Davì

and says all these things about me,

and that's why they're trying to use

his words against me.

Is it possible that, at the time,

based on your anger at the TV report,

you said some things

that weren't true on the phone to Davì?

The meaning of the call?

Are we still talking about that?

- [Ingroia] Yes or no? Is that possible?

- Perhaps.

[Ingroia] No further questions.

- [judge] Fine, thank you.

- Thanks a lot.

While everyone else is backtracking,

pretending not to remember,

not owning up to the truth,

not telling the truth,

in the end, the only person

who had the courage

to say, "Pino Maniaci

extorted money from me," was me.

Gioacchino Polizzi is a business owner

and local politician.

Polizzi's story is important to show

how Maniaci's system works.

In 2013, I was running for mayor

and Polizzi was running with me.

Pino Maniaci started attacking

the candidates,

and in particular,

focused his attacks on my group.

A few months after I was elected,

Polizzi moved to the opposition,

and I lost my majority.

Pino Maniaci did not attack him at all,

in fact, he destroyed me.

Then our group was dissolved

because of suspected Mafia infiltration.

In the last elections,

Polizzi was running.

We saw that the TV station

wasn't attacking him.

Why? [laughs] It's obvious.

Here, it works like this,

if you work in politics,

you need to stay

on Pino Maniaci's good side.

Only then can you be a politician.

[tense music playing]

[Ingroia] The Maniaci trial

was mainly to cloud the issue.

If Pino Maniaci accuses Saguto,

but he is a criminal,

and Saguto is also indicted,

they are both indicted.

Which one of them is guilty,

and which one is innocent?

What's right, and what's wrong?

Both guilty?

- [sheep bells clanging]

- [sheep bleating]

Maybe they're both innocent.

[dramatic music playing]

AS SILVANA SAGUTO'S TRIAL DRAWS TO A CLOSE

JOURNALISTS FROM THE TABLOID NEWS PROGRAM

LE IENE INCREASE THE PRESSURE

NOVEMBER 2019

For the first time,

I was ambushed by journalists,

who instead of asking questions

or asking for an interview

were pushing insinuations.

They took the things

I allegedly did for granted

and were saying, "No, you did this,"

and I was so angry because I said,

"How do you know

whether I did these things?"

Until there's a sentence that proves it,

you can't say anything.

I'm still presumed innocent.

And now that we're getting close

to the verdict,

they want to somehow

manipulate public opinion

and, once again,

shine a spotlight on this trial

that was born from media influence,

from a media uproar

that was created on purpose.

LE IENE AIR FOUR REPORTS NATIONALLY

BROADCASTING THE RECORDINGS

OF SILVANA SAGUTO

[woman] Your husband doesn't have

experience with dockyards, does he?

- [Saguto] That's right.

- [woman] Okay, I'll give him the job.

[Lorenzo] They haven't paid.

[Saguto] Lorenzo, don't worry.

It's coming.

I'm absolutely furious, Elio.

I'll make him pay.

[Reina] What a nightmare.

Her world is collapsing around her.

Media influence

is one of the worst things

about our democracy.

They've already reached a verdict.

We believe and we hope

that the result of the trial

can give Silvana Saguto her dignity back,

restore her honor,

her decorum, and the authority

that she has lost.

[church bells ringing]

FEBRUARY 2020

[intense music playing]

THE PROSECUTION MAKES

ITS CLOSING ARGUMENTS

BY LAW THEY HAVE TO STATE

THEIR SELECTED SENTENCE

Following the closing statements,

the prosecutor's office

makes the following requests.

In regard to Silvana Saguto,

we ask that she be found guilty

of all charges,

and sentenced to 15 years

and 10 months in prison.

This request makes them look ridiculous.

They had already said

that they wanted to make an example of me.

They want the sentence

that the public is expecting.

It's no coincidence that the media frenzy

took place

just before the closing arguments.

They're playing to the masses.

- [eerie music playing]

- [clocks ticking]

I will only be satisfied

with a full acquittal.

I'll fight till the end

to make them understand

that what they've done to me

was done

to give the Mafia a chance to rise again.

[Pino] We'll see what happens,

because I have the impression

that these two trials

will end up finishing

at the same time.

But if Saguto gets more than ten years,

they might arrest her in the courtroom.

[dramatic music playing]