Lawsuit of Vérone

The lawsuit of Vérone took place with Vérone in the Italian Social republic from January 8th to 10th 1944 in the room of Castelvecchio. He lives on the member dock of the Grand council of the Fascism who at the time the meeting of July 25th 1943, had voted the distrust with Benito Mussolini, causing the fall of the fascistic mode and which had fallen between the hands from German and the fascists after the armistice of September 8th 1943 and occupation by the Wehrmacht.

Shown

Galeazzo Ciano son-in-law of Benito Mussolini, condemned to dead
Emilio De Bono condemned to dead
Giovanni Marinelli condemned to dead
Carlo Pareschi condemned to dead
Luciano Gottardi condemned to dead
Tullio Cianetti condemned to 30 years of reclusion

The other members of the Great council will be considered by contumacy, and also condemned to death, of which:

Grown Dino, which had presented the day order accused
Giuseppe Bottai, which will engage during its escape in the French Foreign legion, and which will fight until the end of the war

Court

The party indicates as judges nine comrades in arms, fascists convinced and fanatics who as Pavolini ensures it, offers the guarantee to especially in the case of pronounce the sentence of dead Ciano.

the president of the court was Aldo Vecchini
the indicter public Andrea Fortunato
the investigating magistrate Vincenzo Certosino

In the capacity as judges:

Renzo Montagna political section head of the republican National guard (GNR)
Enrico Vezzalini chief of the Province of Ferrare
Celso Rivetted working which had adhered to Fascism on March 23rd, 1919
Aldo Vecchini, lawyer, consul of the Militia, senior officer of the army
Domenico Mittica, engineer, squadrist, consul of the Militia
Otello Gaddi, first senator of the Militia squadrist, fight, decorated
Vito Casalinuovo consul with the Militia
Frotunato Abbonetti consul of the Militia

Were present: Giunta, Pagliani, Coppola, Resega, Savinio.

Legality of the lawsuit

The new Minister for justice Piero Pisenti, after having examined the acts of the lawsuit decides while supporting that the lawsuit carried out in these terms was not legal. It misses the evidence of complicities between the signatories and the royal house, the vote is held in an irregular way and the charge of treason is not shown because Duce was with the current of about a day. Mussolini knows that the lawsuit is a legal nonsense but he considers it necessary. It seems decided to obtain other heads: it gives to Vecchini the report of Ugo Cavallero where is evoked an coup attempt of state on behalf of this one and of Roberto Farinacci. Farinacci will not be judged because it does not appear among the signatories of about a day Grandi, and it is only with them that the decree of law of the extraordinary special court was intended. But this is not clearly indicated and Farinacci enters among those which plotted to take in hands the king, the executive power and political; the journalist is however protected by the Germans and cannot be touched.

The Ciano business

Galeazzo Ciano, son-in-law of Mussolini, husband of Edda, the preferred girl of the duce, flee with Munich persuaded to find a protection there; actually it is thrown in the arms of its enemies. Heinrich Himmler promised a plane for the to him Spain in exchange of its personal newspaper in which all the reports/ratios were annotated that the Germans had had with the members of Fascism. Moreover, it is convinced to find a protection to have held informed the Germans of displacements of prison in prison of Duce. It does not know that meanwhile with the radio Vittorio Mussolini, Farinacci and Pavolini each one their turn the traitors of Fascism and Ciano show in particular which becomes the target on which all the bitternesses of the fascists fall down. Mussolini meets Ciano in Munich, it lets to him believe that it forgave him. Hitler decides to let make, which imports with the Germans is to recover the newspaper and for this reason, the day of the arrest of Ciano, it do it accompanied by Frau Betz, the single person with whom Ciano will be able to speak during her insulation on standby about her lawsuit. Giovanni Preziosi which is a fanatic particularly appreciated of the Nazis unchains against Ciano.

Votes

The votes are done with secret bulletins. There is a first vote to decide culpabilté then, one second time, to decide if extenuating circumstances should be conceded. With the first vote, all are declared guilty. The extenuating circumstances are conceded only with Tullio Cianetti, condemned to thirty years, in fact little month, taking into account the situation of the republic. The results of the votes express the will of Duce which is sure that the judges will follow the decided directives to Gargano.

The death sentences were carried out on January 11th 1944 with the polygon of shooting of Carried San Procolo by a group of thirty fascists per decision of Alessandro Pavolini, the recourse in grace were presented to Mussolini whereas the judgments were already carried out.

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