Di Pietro, Antonio (1950- )

Italian judge. He was head of the mani puliti (clean hands) series of anti-corruption investigations that began in 1992. His investigations into allegations of corruption in Milan's local government proved instrumental in discrediting, and eventually bringing down, Italy's old political order, and opened the door for Silvio Berlusconi's right-wing alliance to win the 1994 general election. In December 1994 Di Pietro resigned, claiming his work had been increasingly hampered by government interference. In February 1996 he was himself arraigned on corruption charges, which were viewed as having been designed by his opponents to dissuade him from entering politics in the forthcoming general elections. He was subsequently cleared.

Prior to entering the legal profession, Di Pietro was a police officer and computer expert. In 1992 he became the de facto leader of a team of seven Milan-based magistrates, who over a period of several years investigated more than 1,000 industrialists and politicians on charges of corruption. In September 1994 Di Pietro announced an end to his investigations and proposed a 14-point plan for preventing a recurrence of corruption. Prime Minister Berlusconi gave a cautious welcome to his proposals, but in December 1994 Di Pietro resigned, citing undue government interference in his work; within two weeks, the ruling coalition collapsed and Berlusconi (himself under investigation) resigned. In May 1996 Di Pietro accepted an offer to head the nation's public works ministry, in the new Italian government formed by the centre-left Olive Tree coalition. He resigned in November 1996.

In 1994 he was voted Italy's most popular man for his role in the mani puliti.