Claudio Vitalone (7 July 1936 – 28 December 2008) was an

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

judge and politician. In addition to serving as senator and cabinet minister, he is also known for being a close ally of the former

Italian Prime Minister The Prime Minister of Italy, officially the President of the Council of Ministers ( it, link=no, Presidente del Consiglio dei Ministri), is the head of government of the Italian Republic. The office of president of the Council of Ministers is ...

Giulio Andreotti Giulio Andreotti ( , ; 14 January 1919 – 6 May 2013) was an Italian politician and statesman who served as the 41st prime minister of Italy in seven governments (1972–1973, 1976–1979, and 1989–1992) and leader of the Christian Democracy ...

Early life and education

Vitalone was born in

Reggio Calabria Reggio di Calabria ( scn, label= Southern Calabrian, Riggiu; el, label= Calabrian Greek, Ρήγι, Rìji), usually referred to as Reggio Calabria, or simply Reggio by its inhabitants, is the largest city in Calabria. It has an estimated pop ...

on 7 July 1936. He held a law degree.

Career

Vitalone became a judge in 1961. He served in the Rome prosecutor's office and in the

Italian senate The Senate of the Republic ( it, Senato della Repubblica), or simply the Senate ( it, Senato), is the upper house of the bicameral Italian Parliament (the other being the Chamber of Deputies). The two houses together form a perfect bicameral sy ...

. He was a member of the

Christian Democrats __NOTOC__ Christian democratic parties are political parties that seek to apply Christian principles to public policy. The underlying Christian democracy movement emerged in 19th-century Europe, largely under the influence of Catholic social te ...

(DC). He was first elected to the senate in 1979 for the DC and served there three more terms. On 6 August 1992, he resigned from the senate. In two cabinets headed by Giulio Andreotti he was the deputy minister of foreign affairs from 1989 to 1992. He briefly served as foreign trade minister in the cabinet led by Prime Minister

Giuliano Amato Giuliano Amato (; born 13 May 1938) is an Italian politician who twice served as Prime Minister of Italy, first from 1992 to 1993 and again from 2000 to 2001. Later, he was Vice President of the Convention on the Future of Europe that drafted t ...

from June to 29 July 1992 when he resigned from office. After leaving public office he returned to his judiciary post.

Controversy

Vitalone along with Andreotti was charged with ordering

Mino Pecorelli Carmine "Mino" Pecorelli (; 14 September 1928 – 20 March 1979) was an Italian journalist, shot dead in Rome a year after former prime minister Aldo Moro's 1978 kidnapping and subsequent killing. He was described as a "maverick journalist wit ...

's killing in

Rome , established_title = Founded , established_date = 753 BC , founder = King Romulus ( legendary) , image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg , map_caption ...

in 1979.Reporters Without Borders Annual Report 2004 - Italy
''Reporters Without Borders''. 2004. Retrieved 5 December 2013. In 1999, a Perugia court acquitted Vitalone and Andreotti from the charges brought against them.

Death

Vitalone died on 28 December 2008 in Rome.
''il Giornale'' 29 December 2008. Retrieved 5 December 2013.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Vitalone, Claudio 20th-century Italian judges 20th-century Italian politicians 1936 births 2008 deaths Christian Democracy (Italy) politicians Government ministers of Italy Members of the Senate of the Republic (Italy) People from Reggio Calabria