Judge Falcone

Giovanni Falcone (Palermo, 18 May 1939 – Palermo, 23 May 1992) was an Italian prosecuting magistrate born in Palermo, Sicily. From his office in the Palace of Justice in Palermo, he spent most of his professional life trying to overthrow the power of the Mafia in Sicily.

Giovanni was born in 1939 to a middle-class family in Palermo, Sicily. Falcone's parents emphasized the importance of hard work, bravery and patriotism. After having brilliantly studied law in the University of Palermo, Falcone started his career as a judge in 1964. After many years of fighting against crime and fraud, Falcone found himself at the forefront of the struggle against the mafia, which was plaguing his native region, Sicily with its numerous criminal activities by joining the “Antimafia pool”. This was a group of investigating magistrates who closely worked together sharing information and developing new investigative and prosecutorial strategies.

Falcone and his colleagues of the Antimafia pool can be considered heroes because they risked their lives to defend a cause that they deemed just: to free Sicily from the Mafia. Many of his colleagues died in the hands of the Sicilian mafia, yet he still continued with his task, even tough he received many death threats. Falcone's responsibilities as a magistrate put tremendous strain on his personal life.

His work culminated in what was called at the time “The Maxi Trial”, which was an enormous criminal trial against the Sicilian Mafia that took place in Palermo in which more than 475 “mafiosis” were indicted for a multitude of crimes by Judge Falcone and Sicilian prosecutors. 2,665 years of prison sentences were shared out between the guilty, not including the life sentences handed to the nineteen leading Mafia bosses and killers. This trial dealt a fatal blow to the mafia and its activities in Sicily.

By leading those trials, Giovanni helped the Sicilian people to slip from the grip of the “Cosa Nostra” (Sicilian mafia) and made his island a lot safer place for everyone, and to achieve this noble endeavor, he lost his life. Giovanni Falcone was assassinated on 23 May 1992, together with his wife and his close friend and colleague, Paolo Borsellino in an ambush. He can be considered a hero and maybe even more than that because he wasn’t afraid of giving his life to help his community. He is also a hero because he inspired many people and, as many Sicilians now say "You did not kill him: his ideas walk on our legs".

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