Storm on Giusi Bartolozzi: «Vote yes and we will get rid of the judiciary, judges are an execution squad, if the no wins I will flee Italy»

An incendiary metaphor in the midst of the referendum campaign has become a national political case.

During a broadcast of the Sicilian channel Telecolor, Il Punto, hosted by Luca Ciliberti, Giusi Bartolozzi, the chief of staff of the Ministry of Justice launched a frontal attack on the judiciary: "Vote Yes and we will get rid of the judiciary, which is manipulated... they are execution squads".

Bartolozzi: "The judiciary is an execution squad, with the yes we get rid of it". Thus the chief of staff of the Ministry of Justice on the program Il Punto on Telecolor @Lasiciliaweb #ANSA https://t.co/xOAJtaO6nm pic.twitter.com/n5wifI5cAg

— Agenzia ANSA (@Agenzia_Ansa) March 9, 2026

The shocking statement came at the peak of a heated back-and-forth live exchange with Senator Ilaria Cucchi. The latter had pressed the official on the disproportionate attention of the government towards the criminal process, at the expense of the inefficiencies in the civil sector.

Bartolozzi's reply touched on the heart of the reform sought by the executive led by Giorgia Meloni and Minister Carlo Nordio: "Criminal law kills people, ruins reputations... then it may be that after 15 years one party is told that the fact does not exist".

The use of the expression "execution squads" triggered an institutional short circuit, shifting the focus from criticism of the system to a strong delegitimization of the judiciary. Words with enormous weight in view of the vote on March 22 and 23, 2026.

The referendum, as is known, proposes among other things the separation of careers between the judging and prosecuting judiciary, with the consequent splitting of the Superior Council of the Judiciary. For supporters of the Yes, the reform will ensure the full impartiality of the judge and will strike at "factionalism". For the No camp, however, the risk is to undermine the independence of the judiciary.

Further exacerbating the situation is a second video clip in which Bartolozzi claims that, in the event of a No victory, she "will flee Italy".

But who is Giusi Bartolozzi? A judge on leave and former deputy of Forza Italia, she is considered the "tsarina of via Arenula", a figure of utmost trust for Minister Nordio and a centralizer of the most sensitive dossiers.

Her public exposure clashes with the "stone guest" of the Almasri case: at the end of February 2026, the closure of investigations against her was announced for the hypothesis of "false information" provided to prosecutors. While this does not equate to a trial referral, the fact that the chief of staff is on the front lines of the referendum campaign while being under investigation contributes to a tense atmosphere.

Politics is divided: the opposition speaks of an institutional break and demands clarifications, while the majority attempts to downplay the incident as a television controversy. All eyes are now on Minister Nordio: he will have to decide whether to dismiss the incident as a mere bump in the road or to manage a real institutional crisis close to the elections.