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I can understand just enough of this to see that Repubblica's Giuseppe d'Avanzo makes a case that Sismi under Pollari has become something like a criminal enterprise; a friend summarizes: "It criticizes Pollari for always not knowing about everthing that goes on around him. [Sismi's number two official Marco] Mancini by law was to inform him. If Mancini didn't, Mancini violated the law. If Pollari was informed he violated the law. If Pollari didn't know he has no business being head of the services." It seems that Pollari is likely going to have to offer his resignation; whether Prodi will accept, would be another question.
What intrigues me is the evidence d'Avanzo lays out here that Libero's Renato Farina, Sismi code-name Betulla -- "birch tree" -- was wittingly used as part of a full fledged Sismi disinformation operation, complete with a secret Sismi rented facility at Rome's 230 via Nazionale for that purpose, under the control of Sismi's number two official arrested yesterday, Marco Mancini. "Come di nulla si deve essere accorto, Pollari, dell' 'agenzia di disinformazione e dossieraggio' che un funzionario del Sismi, sotto la supervisione di Marco Mancini (intanto diventato direttore del controspionaggio) ha organizzato in un 'ufficio riservato' al 230 di via Nazionale a Roma. L'appartamento è all'attico. Da quell'attico, il funzionario controlla un giornalista, 'fonte Betulla', che offre 'appunti riservati' sulle indagini di Milano. È illegale, per il servizio segreto, ingaggiare giornalisti." [Translation from Crooked Timber's Henry Farrell: "Just as Pollari must not have noticed anything about the 'disinformation and dossier-making agency' that a SISMI functionary, under the supervision of Marco Mancini (who had become director of counter-espionage in the meantime) organized in a 'secret office' at 230, Via Nazionale in Rome. The apartment was in the attic. From this attic, the functionary supervised a journalist, the 'Betulla source,' who offered 'confidential notes' on the Milan investigation. It is illegal for the secret service to hire journalists. ..."]
Amazing to see the actual alleged extent of the Sismi disinformation and interception operation, details which are now apparently in the hands of Milan prosecutors. Amazing and distracting as those details are, the larger potential implication of this arrangement is important and shouldn't be lost: the official cover story for the Italian government -- one put forward by Sismi, the Berlusconi government and seemingly accepted by the Italian parliamentary services oversight committee -- that the Niger forgeries middleman, ex Sismi agent Rocco Martino, was under the control and run by the French at the time of the forgeries caper, was first promoted by a "journalist" -- Renato Farina -- who the Milan magistrates now have wiretap evidence agreed to help Sismi put out disinformation on the Abu Omar case. The extent of Farina's alleged disinformation operations for Sismi is a matter now under investigation.
Update: And also worth reading what a colleague writes from Italy today, "Do you know that [Repubblica investigative journalist] Giuseppe D'Avanzo was spied by Sismi? It's official (we all imagined it, but now there is an official act of the Milanese court). Incredible." It is incredible. And are there correlaries for the States? When the government finds its biggest preoccupation are the journalists trying to expose the truth, it seems the whole enterprise is pretty shaky.
(This post has been revised).