Coin set proof

Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino were Sicilian jurists and belonged to a group of investigating magistrates and prosecutors who systematically pursued the Cosa Nostra. Both came from Palermo and had known each other since their youth. In their professional work, they investigated not only individual murders or extortion cases, but also the Mafia’s organizational structures, financial flows and internal decision-making processes.

They worked in the so-called Anti-Mafia Pool of the Palace of Justice in Palermo. This team consolidated findings and distributed responsibility among several magistrates. This was intended to prevent investigations from collapsing after the murder of an individual member of the judiciary. An important basis was provided by the statements of former Mafia members, particularly those of Tommaso Buscetta. They enabled a more precise insight into the structure and functioning of the Cosa Nostra.

The investigations culminated in the Maxi Trial (Maxi-Prozess) in Palermo, which was conducted from 1986 to 1987 against several hundred defendants. The proceedings legally confirmed that the Sicilian Mafia operated as a unified, organized association with a ruling commission. Numerous prison sentences were upheld in the final instance at the beginning of 1992.

On 23 May 1992, the Cosa Nostra killed Falcone in a bombing on the motorway near Capaci. His wife, the judge Francesca Morvillo, and three members of his protective detail also died. On 19 July, Borsellino was murdered by a car bomb in Via D’Amelio in Palermo; five members of his escort also lost their lives.

The attacks prompted public protests and a stronger state response against the Mafia. Since then, Falcone and Borsellino have become enduring reference points in Italian remembrance culture. The photograph on which the issue is based, showing the two in a relaxed moment, is frequently used at commemorative events, in schools and in public institutions. The coin issue forms part of this state commemoration of the fight against organized crime.