Palermo Court of Appeal, the new president Antonio Balsamo takes office: "Your anxiety for truth is ours"

Today at the Palazzo di Giustizia, the ceremony for the swearing-in of Antonio Balsamo as the new president of the Court of Appeal of Palermo took place. A solemn moment, marked by a deeply human speech in which the new president wanted to reaffirm the indissoluble bond between the judiciary and the community, defining the search for truth as an essential task of the rule of law.

Visibly emotional, Balsamo recalled the most dramatic moments in Italian judicial history, citing the Bologna train station massacre and the tragic attacks in Capaci and via D’Amelio. His thoughts went to those who fought for an Italy "with everything in order," evoking the figure of Piersanti Mattarella. "Among the moments I will never forget — Balsamo declared — are those in which I felt in the depths of my heart the trust in justice of those who have been struck in their dearest affections. Your anxiety for truth belongs to the entire community." The president also recalled the importance of recent rulings, such as those on the Regeni case, emphasizing that crimes of enormous gravity cannot tolerate statute of limitations.

The swearing-in of Balsamo, a magistrate of clear national and international fame in the fight against organized crime, was welcomed favorably by the authorities. MEP Leoluca Orlando extended his best wishes for good work to the new president, highlighting his legal expertise and deep sense of institutions. Orlando also wanted to express gratitude to the outgoing president, Matteo Frasca, for the decade of work carried out at the helm of the Court of Appeal, praising a management philosophy far from the idea of the lone man in charge that has positively marked the Palermo judiciary.