FLORENCE, Italy, Nov 1 (Reuters) - The former head of an outlawed masonic lodge linked to some of Italy’s biggest scandals has sparked an outcry by announcing that he will take part in a television talk show to give his version of events.

Licio Gelli, the 89-year old former grandmaster of the shadowy Propaganda 2 (P2) group, will be the main guest in “Venerabile Italia” (Venerable Italy), a programme on Italy’s history from fascism to the 1980s.

The P2 was founded in 1969 and used to be the country’s most powerful secret organisation with prominent politicians, business leaders and military officers as members.

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(AGI) – Rome, 2 September – “We don’t need Mandrake to know what to do on the matter of justice”. This was claimed by the leader of the Italia dei valori (Italy of values) party, Antonio Di Pietro, who was speaking to journalists in front of Montecitorio. “Everything needs to be done, except what they want to do”, he added. Di Pietro thinks that “parliament is” the only place to make reforms to the justice system and then added, “There is only one reform to be carried out, and that is money for security, for the police and the forces of order and a series of ordinary measures to have more staff”. Moreover, “it is necessary to cut short the times for carrying out justice and reduce the justice ranks”. It is opportune to reduce the chaos in the notifications and impugnments system”.

He says about Alfano’’s proposal, “it is a justice reform bearing the hallmark of the P2 Masonic lodge”, Di Pietro says, “It aims to prevent freedom of information and muzzle magistrates”. And regarding the PD’s opening up to dialogue with the majority, Di Pietro clarifies that, “that is the reason we call ourselves Italy of values because we know Berlusconi’s personal history and his judiciary and entrepreneurial policies. When he talks about justice, we know that he is talking about his own”.

NB: Some of the following material is verbatim from a few posts I did at ATS. Since I own the copyright, it is my prerogative to reproduce in anyway I see fit.

Diploma of Giosue Carducci from Propaganda Massonica, Rome on April 21, 1886 (the original P2 Lodge)

Back in June there was a story (in English) about the Italian authorities having concluded an investigation  “into attempts to slow down legal proceedings against members of the mafia with the help of members of the Freemasonry”:

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