01x06 - The Reckoning

[bunniefuu]

[atmospheric music playing]

[car horns honking]

FEBRUARY 2020

MANIACI'S DEFENSE STRATEGY MEETING

WITH A VIDEO EXPER

[somber music playing]

I've compared the full video

to the one given to the media.

Look what happens here.

[music turning suspenseful]

In the full video, there's a third person.

- [man] Who was that, Pino?

- It looks like Gioacchino Polizzi.

Gioacchino Polizzi?

[man 1] In this one,

you hear Mr. Maniaci say

[Pino] The Prefect has a dossier on you.

that sentence.

[man 2] It was added to the video,

it's not there.

[man 1] So they dubbed it

onto a different clip.

The video released to the media

and the full video, are totally different.

[music intensifying]

[Pino] In Sicily, we say "farfantaria,"

bullshit. You know what I mean?

[music stops abruptly]

Who the f*ck can we trust?

[theme music playing]

A NETFLIX DOCUMENTARY SERIES

[music fading out]

[happy, traditional Italian music playing]

[man] Sicily

is the land of light.

But there's also a lot of darkness.

[music turning sinister]

There are shadows.

And hatred, danger, accusations, and traps

are hiding in those shadows.

Because it's a land of great passion,

positive and negative.

It's not easy to predict

how the trial will end for Maniaci.

I think that the verdict should be drawn

from the investigations,

PINO MANIACI'S LAWYER

from the witness statements that we heard,

and the evidence that was gathered.

Pino Maniaci should be acquitted.

[somber cello music playing]

FEBRUARY 2020

MANIACI TRIAL

DEFENSE'S VIDEO EXPERT TESTIMONY

So, you were able to watch

this video that was submitted

as part of

the public prosecutor's evidence.

Yes.

[judge] And you compared it with the one

that was broadcast through various media.

Yes, it's also on YouTube.

Can you explain

this discrepancy you noticed?

[witness] The discrepancy is that we see

something is said in the full-length video

when there are three people in the room.

In the video provided to the media,

there are only two people in the frame.

If I understand correctly,

you are saying that it was edited,

that the sound was edited

separately to the video,

so it no longer

corresponds to the original version.

Yes, that's the discrepancy.

So, in the video, the one distributed

by the Carabinieri,

where the so-called

alleged extortion happens

between Maniaci and the mayor,

you're saying that in reality,

there could also be a third person there,

who isn't in the video.

Exactly.

[Parrino] Surely, if there is evidence

of tampering with the video,

it would prove prove there was

a conspiracy against Pino Maniaci.

A video like that has only one aim,

and that is to shut down,

to quote Pino's infamous wiretaps,

"Shut down Pino Maniaci's inquiries,

and take Telejato off the air."

[dramatic music playing]

[man] We want to focus

all our attention

on the ill*gal accumulation of wealth

because the Mafia

wants to accumulate wealth illegally.

That's the goal of their operation,

so that's the activity

that we have to shine a spotlight on.

[Saguto] Hi, Monica.

[Saguto] I was the leading authority

on preventive measures in Italy.

Thank you. I needed that.

[Saguto] It's not a witch hunt anymore.

It's a conspiracy.

Of course Pino Maniaci didn't orchestrate

all this. Someone used him.

[Pino] Let's talk about the seized assets,

and clearly, we're here

[Saguto] Who did it? I don't know.

But I can tell you

it was an orchestrated plan

to put an end to the work

of the preventive measures department.

It's true.

I dare to hope

that I'll be acquitted of everything

because I haven't done anything wrong.

I've spent my whole life

fighting the Mafia,

the sentences that I gave out,

the trials that I presided over,

nobody can ever say

even with the accusations

I'm on trial for,

that I have ever tried to help the Mafia.

SILVANA SAGUTO'S FATHER,

HER HUSBAND LORENZO CARAMMA

AND HER SON EMANUELE

ARE CO-DEFENDANTS IN HER TRIAL

THEY ARE ALL AWAITING THE VERDIC

[music fading]

[Lorenzo] We have to support each other.

That's all.

Because we all know each other.

And we all know

what we've all done and haven't done.

Being treated like this

leaves you confused and very, very sad.

[sad music playing]

Last time I spoke to him, my son said,

"You made our lives impossible

chasing an ideal that doesn't exist

because only you believe in it.

No one else did,

and they didn't believe in you."

Our lives were nothing

like other people's.

I made them live in fear,

it wasn't right for kids of that age.

In the end,

it wasn't worth it.

SAGUTO TRIAL

VERDIC

[birds chirping]

[reporter] So, the long wait

for the verdict from

the presiding Judge Andrea Catalano,

here at the bunker courtroom

of Caltanissetta, begins.

Prominent defendant, former judge

Silvana Saguto, won't be present

[dreary music playing]

[indistinct talking on the TV]

OCTOBER 2020

[man] I'm waiting calmly for the verdict,

with a lot of faith.

We showed

that the magic circle didn't exist.

SILVANA SAGUTO'S LAWYER

I'm confident

we've done everything possible

to show the inconsistencies

and lack of substance of the claims.

[suspenseful music playing]

- [woman on TV talking]

- [clock ticking]

[phone buzzing]

[Saguto] It's a matter

of minutes, Lorenzo.

[music escalating]

[music fading]

[Saguto] I didn't go,

I don't want to stand

and wait while the court decides my fate.

What happens, happens,

whether I'm there or not won't change it.

I'd rather not think or talk about it.

We'll see what happens soon enough.

Phone is there,

and if Emanuele texts me,

it will be to to give me some news.

[music becoming more intense]

[alarm buzzing]

[footsteps approaching]

ALL ARE EQUAL BEFORE THE LAW

[music fading]

[rhythmical music playing]

What?

Is it out?

What?

The verdict?

And what is it?

[music building up]

Conviction?

Yes?

"In the name of the Italian people,

the Court of Caltanissetta

finds Silvana Saguto

guilty of the charges,

and sentences her to eight years,

six months in prison."

"Sentenced to eight years and six months."

[sinister music playing]

"Lorenzo Caramma, guilty of charges,

and sentenced to six years,

two months and ten days in prison.

Gaetano Cappellano Seminara,

seven years, six months in prison."

So basically, they convicted everyone.

The verdict can't be final.

There's no proof. It's not possible.

Reina's talking.

[phone ringing]

Hello?

Mama, everyone's convicted, except Papa.

Everyone convicted, I said.

Everyone convicted.

Emanuele's sentenced to six months.

Mama, listen,

if you talk nonsense I'll hang up.

I already said I said,

there's nothing more to tell you. Bye.

[heavy bass music playing]

I think they've seized our house.

I don't have any money,

so I can't pay them.

I don't understand what they're saying.

SILVANA SAGUTO IS ORDERED TO PAY

THE RELEVANT PARTIES

A TOTAL OF OVER 850,000 EUROS

I already told you

I'm not interested in public opinion.

If I'd been acquitted, people would say

there was some secret deal.

Do you realize how insane this is?

The Court of Caltanissetta has sentenced

the former president of the preventive

measures department of Palermo court.

SILVANA SAGUTO

WAS FOUND GUILTY OF CORRUPTION,

ABUSE OF POWER

AND FORGERY OF PUBLIC DOCUMENTS

SHE WAS ACQUITTED OF THE ACCUSATIONS

OF CRIMINAL ASSOCIATION AND EMBEZZLEMEN

[melancholic music playing]

NEWSROOM

What do you think? What do you think?

What do you think? [Pino chuckling]

What do you think

of Saguto's sentence, huh?

f*ck!

What do I get out of this?

[Pino sighs]

Okay, go, scram

before you piss me off.

[Pino talking angrily]

Look, 59,000 people,

hundreds of comments, on Facebook alone,

saying, "Thanks to me"

But there's not one f*cking newspaper

or journalist

saying that everything started

with Pino Maniaci.

Am I wrong, or has no one reported on it?

What a f*cking country, unbelievable.

[somber music playing]

[Pino] Silvana Saguto, former president

of the preventive measures department,

has been sentenced

to eight and a half years in prison.

She's accused

of running a corrupt administration

and appointing judicial administrators

in exchange for money and favors

I'm proud of carrying out

this investigation

and bringing about the convictions

of the bad apples in the Court of Palermo

and of this "magic circle," as we call it.

Obviously, it leaves a bad taste

in your mouth

because it's hard to tell people,

"Look, instead of administering justice

- [busy signal]

- they stole money."

And if they don't review the laws,

there will be more Silvana Sagutos,

who will do what she's done.

- [Pino] Is this good for my trial?

- [man] Certainly, for your image.

All this cash she has to pay out,

and none for me?

[man laughing]

For all the time I spent on her

We'll see, we'll see.

We could sue her in civil court.

Really?

- Let's wait for the outcome of the trial.

- Ah.

[music box music playing]

[Ingroia] In Italy, people say

the anti-Mafia is having a crisis.

They use this label to refer to

the judiciary that works on Mafia cases,

to the various groups

fighting the Mafia, etc.

And they refer to the trials

like the Saguto trial,

like Pino Maniaci's trial, like my trial

because it involves

an anti-Mafia magistrate like Saguto,

like myself, and an anti-Mafia journalist,

like Pino Maniaci.

I think it's wrong to generalize.

[music stops]

Each case has its own story.

[gloomy music playing]

[radio newscaster] The prosecution

is seeking a four-year sentence

for former public prosecutor,

Antonio Ingroia, for alleged embezzlement.

According to the prosecutor,

he embezzled €100,000

ANTONIO INGROIA AWAITS

THE VERDICT OF HIS OWN TRIAL

[Ingroia] I've been accused

of embezzlement.

This angers me, and it offends my honor.

[phone dialing]

- [woman] Hello?

- I'm here, my love.

- Good morning, or rather goodnight.

- Good morning, love.

I'm driving, I'm in my car,

I'm going to the hearing, as you know.

I know, I was waiting for your call.

VOICE OF GISELLE OBERTI

I wanted to say hello,

and tell you that I'm very proud of you.

You risked your own life for 30 years

fighting the Mafia, going up against them,

and that bothered people so much,

people who

who didn't risk anything for 30 years.

- It's all insane. It's crazy.

- Okay, okay. Come on.

- Mm-hmm.

- Don't make me even more nervous.

[Ingroia] I know I haven't made

any mistakes.

I haven't committed any crimes.

They should be thanking me.

INGROIA TRIAL

VERDIC

[eerie music playing]

NOVEMBER 2020

Of course

It's a little strange

coming back to this court

where I was an anti-Mafia prosecutor

for a long time,

and where I now work as a lawyer,

it seems like a joke, you know,

being here as a defendant in a trial

that's been

[sighs] going on for years.

I always carry my lucky charm,

my lucky coin, which I have with me

in my most difficult times.

I trust it as much

as I trust the justice system.

- [ominous music playing]

- [seagulls squawking]

ANTONIO INGROIA HAS REQUESTED

ABBREVIATED JUDGMENT PROCEDURE

WHICH TAKES PLACE BEHIND CLOSED DOORS

[news jingle playing]

Former Public Prosecutor Antonio Ingroia

has been sentenced by the Palermo Court

to one year and ten months in prison

for embezzlement.

The investigation that led to the trial

There are two charges against me,

one was about the performance bonus

that I allegedly took illegally,

and I was acquitted of that.

The other was

the reimbursement of expenses,

and the judge sentenced me for that.

It's disgusting.

It's revolting to me. [sighs]

It should have been a complete acquittal,

which I believe I deserve.

[string instruments playing]

[car door slammed shut]

[Ingroia] Italy is becoming

more and more out of balance.

Lots of false things have been said today.

I'm sorry to say that I see my future

[sighs]

the rest of my days

far away from Italy.

I've always had a love for Latin America.

In these last few years,

something has broken.

I lost faith in the justice system

and its ability

to only indict guilty parties,

having seen what is happening

to me and Pino.

What I am certain of is,

whatever the outcomes

of all the the trials I'm involved in,

I know that I will never relent.

I'll always continue my work

to affirm the principles I believe in,

the principles of justice and truth.

[music fading]

DECEMBER 2020

MANIACI TRIAL

THE PROSECUTION'S CLOSING STATEMENTS

[alarm buzzing]

[suspenseful music playing]

[man] Can we have

the prosecution's closing statements?

[woman] Your Honor,

in the case of Pino Maniaci,

we are not dealing with

the usual, crude methods of extortion

carried out by lowly crooks.

Pino Maniaci's technique

is far more refined.

He sends a message in his news reports

that over time breaks the spirit

of local officials,

who basically succumb

to what can be described as

a sort of "Chinese water t*rture effect,"

a steady drip of reports through which

their reputation is continuously attacked

and broken down.

Dear Mr. Mayor,

do you know what the problem is?

While you argue over responsibilities,

the town is drowning in trash.

[Luise] Maniaci uses

a persistent pincer technique.

He uses the media to either glorify

or denigrate local politicians,

depending on the status

of the payments he attempts to coerce.

He uses the stick and carrot method,

some times praising

and some times attacking them

to make clear that the extorted money

maintains their image in the media.

The support of a TV station claiming

to represent the voice of the anti-Mafia.

He starts with defamation.

The Mayor's visit to the United States

and his meetings are eyebrow-raising.

[Luise] Then he extorts money.

Pino Maniaci presents himself

as a credible anti-Mafia hero.

[guests applauding]

But the wiretaps reveal this image

to be a fraud.

[Pino] You have no idea

how powerful Pino Maniaci is.

[Luise] They reveal Pino Maniaci's method.

[Pino] This is a threat.

Do the interview and then f*ck off.

[Luise] In other conversations,

Maniaci claims

he has administration

in the palm of his hand

through the power

of constant media pressure.

[Pino] These assholes have to do as I say.

Do you understand?

[Luise] He has shown himself

to be a two-faced journalist

who has shamelessly abused his profession.

[Pino] She's so full of sh*t.

[Luise] In light of this,

I ask that Pino Maniaci be sentenced

to 11 years and six months in prison

and face a fine of €6,500,

and we ask that the defendant

be declared a career con artist,

as permitted by law.

[Pino] f*ck.

A bit too much, I was expecting less.

[Pino] She drove me nuts

with all her bullshit. It drove me nuts.

[Parrino] It's the prosecution's job.

She has an obligation.

It may be her job, but she's made

a big mess of everything that happened

because she's gone and distorted it.

[Parrino] She was doing her duty,

drawing conclusions from the evidence

to support the levied charges,

however founded or unfounded they may be.

It's her right. And you shouldn't

have made those comments or faces.

[calm string music playing]

[person speaking

on the other end of the phone]

[Parrino] Who is Pino Maniaci?

Pino Maniaci

is a very creative individual,

who hasn't achieved much in his life.

If he didn't have his TV station,

he'd probably have become

a small time crook,

a local scammer, trying to make ends meet.

However, through television,

what he really wanted to achieve

started to happen.

He wanted to be a protagonist.

Pino loves investigative journalism.

The fact is that he wasn't equipped

for such a big fight,

and now he's paying the price.

It's become a crusade he might not win.

[intense cello music playing]

It's like a game of chess.

Pino is the whole game,

not a single piece.

[Ingroia] The white, the prosecutor,

makes the first move.

Now I'm using

what we call, "The Sicilian defense."

Defending while counter-attacking

to win the upper hand.

[sinister music playing]

FEBRUARY 2021

MANIACI TRIAL

DEFENSE'S CLOSING STATEMENTS

[Ingroia] Why are we here?

We are here to defend Pino Maniaci

from an accusation that is absurd,

unfounded, unjust, unproven, illogical,

and to a large extent, ridiculous.

I personally find it hard to understand

since in my career as a prosecutor,

and then a lawyer,

I have never seen a request

for eleven years and six months in prison

for charges like this.

They are seeking a bigger sentence

than what was given

to make an example

in the State versus the Mafia.

Even bigger than Silvana Saguto's sentence

of eight and a half years in prison

for corruption, forgery,

and abuse of power.

Something isn't right.

In this trial,

it is Pino Maniaci, the accused,

who is the victim.

It's them,

the so-called victims,

that pushed money on Maniaci

in the hope of buying his silence.

It's they who are the corrupt ones.

Of his own will, De Luca chose to sign

an advertising contract with Maniaci.

He pushed it in the hope

of buying some improper leverage,

and yet Maniaci resisted.

He didn't wanna be corrupted.

He carried on working on his news reports.

Forget "The carrot and the stick."

With Maniaci, there was only "the stick,"

accountability,

and despite

the many attempts to bribe him,

in particular by De Luca

and his entourage, Maniaci never gave up.

That is the reason De Luca got angry

because De Luca failed

at his attempts to corrupt Maniaci.

That is the reason

Polizzi on the phone called him

"an extortioner"

because he thought

that by buying t-shirts,

he could buy Maniaci's silence.

But he couldn't!

Pino Maniaci is not for sale.

[music slowly fading]

How did it come to this?

When did we get to this trial,

and why did it come to this?

There are names that are hiding

in the shadows behind this story.

Big names that are embarrassing

for the judicial institutions.

First and foremost,

is Silvana Saguto.

They wanted to protect Saguto.

Mission failed.

Mission failed.

[dog barking]

MARCH 2021

[serene music playing]

[chattering]

- [man] No sugar. It is sugared.

- [Letizia] It's not.

- [laughing]

- [Giovanni] No one wants to work?

- [Patrizia] boy?

- [man] No, no, no.

[Patrizia] Okay. [coughs]

Are the dogs out?

- [Patrizia] Let Chira out.

- [Pino] Chira, let's go. Come on.

[Patrizia] Good girl.

[Patrizia] Now, I'm just waiting

I trust in the magistracy.

Some people don't, but

But I think it will all be fine.

[Pino] Giulia! Come here. Here, Giulia.

Giulita!

[Patrizia] I'd do it all again.

I'll never regret any of it.

I've got nothing to lose.

Come here. Let's go. Come on.

I was 16 when I started

going out with Pino,

so I know how to deal with him,

how not to deal with him, you know?

[Pino] Stay. Stay down.

Stay. What is it?

[man] I can't say

that he was a saint before,

nor is he a devil now.

He's always been someone

who stands up for what's right.

Nobody is perfect,

he isn't perfect.

But to be accused of extorting money,

doing everything he's been accused of,

to me it all seems a little bit absurd.

Too absurd.

We'll see how it ends.

I hope it goes well.

We'll see.

[Pino] My family knows

that I'm being crucified

to make me pay the price

for my fight for justice.

They've weathered the storm.

They love me so much,

they've put up with it all.

And obviously, they want to move forward,

especially Letizia,

with the TV station,

so we're moving forward.

["That's Amore" by Dean Martin playing]

When the Moon hits your eye

Like a big pizza pie ♪

That's Amore ♪

When the world seems to shine ♪

- [Pino] Let's dance. Let's dance!

- [Letizia] Dance. It's his birthday.

Bells will ring ♪

Come on. We can do better than that.

Come here. We can hear it better here.

[sad music playing]

[Pino] We all make

lots of mistakes in life,

and I think that this is one of those.

It has been incredibly tough for them

because

- [dogs barking]

- [birds singing]

If I haven't apologized

or asked for forgiveness,

it's because I don't even have

the strength to look them in the eye.

Let's go!

APRIL 2021

[suspenseful music playing]

Okay.

[Pino] I'm calm, very relaxed.

I didn't do what they're accusing me of,

so I'm very calm,

despite a possible

eleven-and-a-half-year sentence.

What's important for me,

is that I have peace of mind.

[dramatic music playing]

MANIACI TRIAL

THE VERDIC

[Parrino] In 15 or 20 minutes,

they'll have the verdict.

- They called us.

- [Ingroia] Great. Here we are.

- [Pino] Can we go?

- [Ingroia] Yes. Did they tell you too?

[Pinto] Okay.

[Ingroia] Let's go.

[Pino] What's your prediction?

- [Ingroia] What?

- [Pino] What's your prediction?

[Ingroia] I'm moderately optimistic.

Moderately.

[Pino] f*ck. Moderately?

- [Ingroia] Can't be too

- [Pino] Optimistically optimistic?

too optimistic.

It's good to be to be cautious.

[suspenseful music building up]

[music slowly fading]

[alarm buzzing]

[mumbling]

[footsteps approaching]

"In the name of the Italian people,

the Court of Palermo,

second criminal division,

presided by a sole judge,

has issued the following sentence."

DEFAMATION CHARGE - TWO COUNTS

"We declare Giuseppe Maniaci

guilty of the charges.

He is sentenced to

one year and five months in prison

as well as the payment of the court fees."

EXTORTION CHARGE - FOUR COUNTS

"Seen article 530 of the criminal code,

charges 1, 2, 3, and 4,

Giuseppe Maniaci is acquitted

for lack of a prosecutor's case."

[music lightening up]

Thank you, hearing adjourned.

PINO MANIACI IS ACQUITTED

OF ALL CHARGES FOR EXTORTION

[Pino] Sentenced to a year and a half

for defamation

and made to pay some court fees

And acquitted of all charges of extortion.

The prosecution of Palermo

has made a fool of itself.

Acquitted of the charge of extortion,

Pino Maniaci,

journalist and founder of Telejato,

was first hit

with an anti-Mafia Department inquest

back in 2016.

[Pino] Thanks.

[journalist] Will Pino Maniaci

continue in journalism?

[Pino] Always.

And I ask you to do the same

because these are the risks

we take being journalists.

[newscaster] The verdict is a victory

for Pino Maniaci, director of Telejato,

the TV station in Partinico that's been

fighting the Mafia for many years.

I never thought of myself

as an anti-Mafia journalist.

It's a label that others gave me.

But having said that,

I have been destroyed by private wiretaps

that had nothing to do

with the fight against the Mafia.

What do you think about that?

[Ingroia] I'm overjoyed

because there was a real fear

of receiving a harsher sentence.

This verdict shows you can get justice.

You can't give up, you have to believe it.

I never stopped believing there would be

light at the end of the tunnel.

Today, we have reached that light.

[Letizia] Be good now

and behave yourself.

You're live.

We never bowed down. Never.

Not at all.

We have to be stronger from now on.

Welcome to today's Telejato News.

9TH OF APRIL 2021

Today, I hope you'll forgive us

for taking up most of the airtime

to talk about ourselves

and obviously, the

[Letizia] Telejato never stopped.

Telejato moves forward,

we know what my dad is like,

he won't give up easily.

Come on. I'll k*ll them.

Letizia!

Get everything out of the printer!

Throughout this long and ugly story

I was used to fighting criminals,

mafiosos, small crooks,

and organized crime.

Let's film the TV antenna.

No one realized Provenzano had a TV.

Look, he might have watched Telejato.

[chuckling]

Now, I've learned

to fight the powers that be.

We've called you thieves.

We've called you vultures.

Look at this.

My character, my way of doing things,

my ba*ls of steel

allow me to move forward,

and we will continue our fights,

as long as my health allows me to do so.

AFTER THE VERDIC

TELEJATO EXPANDED ITS AUDIENCE

AND IT IS NOW AVAILABLE ALL ACROSS SICILY

[dramatic music playing]

When I heard they'd acquitted Maniaci,

I almost laughed out loud.

I really find justice to be

um um

incomprehensible.

It's absurd for Maniaci to say

he's the victim of a vendetta

of the system that I managed

because it's like saying

I orchestrated my own demise.

It's so ridiculous.

It's a contradiction in terms.

If I had been acquitted,

that might make more sense

because it would show a sort of

honor among thieves.

Everyone was always saying to me,

"Why don't you write a book?"

And I would say, "I don't have time."

Now, unfortunately, I have time.

I have faith that I'll be able

to overturn the verdict in an appeal.

We'll have to see. It doesn't end here.

I've dealt with many hardships in my life.

I'll deal with this.

THE SENTENCES OF PINO MANIACI,

ANTONIO INGROIA, SILVANA SAGUTO

AND HER CO-DEFENDANTS ARE NON-BINDING

ALL PARTIES CAN APPEAL

IN MOST CASES DEFENDANTS ARE IMPRISONED

ONLY AFTER THE FINAL SENTENCE

FROM THE HIGH COUR

WE WILL CARRY ON

WITH PEPPINO'S IDEAS AND COURAGE

[man] The Mafia isn't invincible.

It's a human creation,

and like all human creations, it has

a beginning, and it will have an end.

They can't be defeated

by everyday heroes alone,

but by gathering all the best forces in

the institutions involved in the battle.

I have said very often

ANTI-MAFIA JUDGE

that the existence

of the Mafia is an alibi,

a scapegoat

used to justify wrongdoings

in all parts of our society.

[dramatic music playing]