Angry Italian Lawmakers Kill Decree Freeing Corruption Suspects

After a shouting and shoving match between government allies, lawmakers Thursday overwhelmingly nullified a Cabinet decree that released nearly 200 political corruption suspects from jail.

The brawl illustrated the disarray within Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s fraying 2-month-old government.

The decree, approved by Berlusconi and Cabinet allies a week earlier, unleashed a storm of protest and handed Berlusconi his first crisis since he took office in May.

On Tuesday, Berlusconi bowed to pressure and announced the decree would be rescinded by the Cabinet and be presented to Parliament as proposed legislation.

But Thursday, the Chamber of Deputies voted 418-33 with 41 abstentions to nullify the measure. Without the vote, the decree would have stayed in effect until the Cabinet rescinded it later in the week, potentially allowing dozens of other corruption suspects out of jail.

By Wednesday evening, 2,137 people out of about 4,000 eligible suspects had been released from prison under the decree. Most were small-time drug dealers or thieves, but close to 200 corruption suspects were released, including a former health minister. Many of those released were put under house arrest.

The decree sharply limited the kinds of suspects who can be jailed while an investigation continues. Corruption, graft and other nonviolent crimes were eliminated from the preventive detention category.

Critics call preventive detention an infringement on civil liberties. But prosecutors say it has helped them crack down on endemic political corruption.