NP - A law unto themselves

[David Morris]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,666653,00.html

Wednesday March 13, 2002

They've done it again. The judges of Italy's highest appeals court have 
emerged from their chambers to deliver a verdict as baffling as it is 
unexpected.

Giuseppe Fortunato, a Naples city councillor, thought he was performing a 
civic duty by blowing the whistle on colleagues who misspent taxpayers' 
money by using official mobile phones to call sex lines.

Mr Fortunato requested records from the mobile phone company and published 
the names of the miscreants. A brave stand against petty corruption? A role 
model for other politicians?

Not according to the elderly male judges of the court of cassation. Mr 
Fortunato is the criminal for violating his colleagues' privacy. He has been 
convicted this week of usurping the constitution by exceeding his powers.

That the privacy law he broke was passed in 1996 - two years after he blew 
the whistle - was deemed no excuse and the councillor will soon learn what 
price he must pay.





_________________________________________________________________
MSN Photos is the easiest way to share and print your photos: 
http://photos.msn.com/support/worldwide.aspx