Academic career 

1989: Degree in Law with grade 110/110 and Distinction

Teaching assistant, Criminal Law Institute - University of Catania

1992: Scholarship of the DDA, Goethe Institut Sprachschule - Freiburg im Breisgau

1995: Scholarship of the Centro Nazionale di Prevenzione e Difesa Sociale

1997: PhD in Diritto penale italiano e comparato, University of Pavia

1996-2001: Researcher of Criminal Law, University of Catania

2002-2004: Associated Professor of Criminal Law, University of Catania

Since 2005: Full Professor of Criminal Law, University of Catania

 

Partecipation in scientific and peer review committees: Rivista Italiana di Diritto e Procedura Penale; Cassazione Penale; Diritto Penale e Processo; Diritto Penale Contemporaneo (Riv. Trim.); Centre of European Criminal Law-Catania; Insubria University Press; Padova University Press; (occasionally Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Criminology and Crime).

Teaching charges at foreign and international universities and research institutes of high qualification: University of Heidelberg; University Autonoma of Madrid; University of Alicante; University of Castilla La Mancha, Albacete; Scuola Internazionale di Alta Formazione per le Forze di Polizia, Caserta; ISISC, International Institute of Higher Studies in Criminal Sciences; Szkoła Prawa Włoskiego i Europejskiego Wydział Prawa i Administracji Uniwersytetu Warszawskiego

Research in foreign institutions: Max Planck Institut für Strafrecht, Freiburg; Rechtswissenschaftliche Fakultät, Freiburg; International Criminal Court, Aia; Queen Mary University, London; Institute of Advanced Legal Studies, London.

Partecipation in prestigious academies: Association International de Droit Pénal; Italian Association of Professors of Criminal Law (also member of its Directive Committee since 2011 to 2013); International Institute of Higher Studies in Criminal Sciences; Center for European Criminal Law of Catania; Osservatorio Permanente sulla Criminalità Organizzata;

Partecipation in ministerial, institutional commissions and sovranational institutions:

Since 2017: Osservatorio sulle misure di prevenzione patrimoniali e misure cautelari reali - Corte di Cassazione

2016-2018: Working group n. 15 Mafia and Europe for Stati Generali della lotta alla Criminalità organizzata

2016-2017: Study Commission for Reorder of the special part of the Italian criminal code

2015: Restricted group of experts on Improving Mutual Recognition of freezing and confiscation orders, DJ Justice EU Brussels

2014: Study Commission for the revision of the sanctioning system and the implementation of the law 28 April 2014, n. 67

2013: Committee for aimed at preparing proposals for interventions in the area of the criminal sanctioning system

2007: Parliamentary Commission on Mafia and other similar criminal organizations

Participation to the hearing held at the Senate of the Italian Republic on preventive measures and amendments to the anti-mafia code (2017) and at the Justice Committee - House of Representatives (2010)

 

Other qualifications

Coordinator of the: PhD course in Law, University of Catania (since 2013); PhD Course in Politiche europee di diritto processuale, penale e di cooperazione giudiziaria, University of Catania (since 2011)

Teaching staff of the Higher School of Magistracy;

Appointed by the Rector of the University of Catania for the relationship with the Association Libera, contro le Mafie

Teaching staff of the School of specialization for legal professions – University of Catania

Tutor at the School of Excellence, University of Catania

Lawyer, abilitation

Member of the: Didactic Commission of the Faculty of Law, University of Catania; Committee for assessing the quality of research, University of Catania; Professors Committee in relation to the PhD Course in Human Rights Protection, University of Catania; Board of examiners in relation to the selection of judges; Board of examiners to grant qualifications to practice law; Comitato di sorveglianza della BCC del Belice (TP) appointed by order of the Bank of Italy

Scientific responsibility for research projects

2016-2020: Project on Politiche criminali per la lotta al crimine organizzato e alla sua infiltrazione nell'economia in una prospettiva europea

2014-2017: FIR - Le prospettive del mutuo riconoscimento dei provvedimenti di confisca dopo la Direttiva 2014/42/UE

Project n. 239 Inforesponsability Impresa capofila A-Tono s.r.l., Linea di intervento 4.1.1.2 del POR FESR Sicilia 2007-2013, CUP

PRA: 2009 - La tutela dei diritti fondamentali nel diritto penale (project financed also in 2012); 2007 - Il concorso di persone e la joint criminal enterprise nel diritto penale internazionale; 2005 - La tutela dei beni culturali nel diritto internazionale penale; 2003 - I principi fondamentali dello Statuto della Corte Penale Internazionale e la responsabilità da comando; 2001 - Lotta contro la criminalità organizzata: un obiettivo dell’Unione Europea. Tecniche di intervento e strumenti sanzionatori

Jean Monnet Projects

2014-2020: Preparing the environment for the EPPO: fostering mutual trust by improving existing common legal heritage and enhancing common legal understanding (within the Hercule III 2014-2020 program)

2015-2017: Lo spazio comune europeo di giustizia penale

2014-2017: Nuove Competenze per Nuove Sfide: politiche nazionali ed europee per la lotta alla Criminalità Organizzata    

Partnership in research projects:

2014-2018 Life Imprisonment: A Global Analysis - Dirk van Zyl Smit and Catherine Appleton (University of Nottingham)

2015 - 2018: Derechos del condenado y límites derivados de la necesidad de pena. Especial referencia a la delincuencia de género, patrimonial y económica, corrupción, criminalidad organizada terrorismo (Delimpen) - scientific responsibility of University of Alicante

2014 - 2017: Proyecto de investigación penas de prisión de larga duración - Programa Estatal de Investigación, Desarrollo e Innovación Orientada a los Retos de la Sociedad National Research

2012 - 2016: Nuevos limites penales para la autonomia individual y la intimidad (Nulipai) (Ref.: DER 2011-26909) - Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación de España

2006-2009: La costruzione dell’identità europea: sicurezza collettiva, libertà individuali e modelli di regolazione sociale - Universities of Catania, Madrid, Valencia.

PRIN - Research Programs of Relevant National: Armonizzazione degli ordinamenti nazionali nel campo del diritto penale dell’economia e creazione di un diritto penale comunitario (2000); Diritto penale e Trattato che istituisce una Costituzione per l'Europa (2005); L'evoluzione del diritto penale nei settori d'interesse europeo alla luce del nuovo progetto di riforma dei Trattati (2007)

1999-2002: Rome Statute, Centro d’Iniziativa per l’Europa del Piemonte

2000: Cooperazione giudiziaria, sequestro, confisca: il problema dei diritti dei terzi e della spartizione e gestione dei patrimoni - Grotius Project of the European Union

1999-2000: Progetto europeo di cooperazione su alcuni aspetti delle indagini di polizia e dei procedimenti giudiziari in materia di criminalità organizzata - Universities of Seville and Catania

1997: Gli strumenti della lotta alla criminalità organizzata: il ruolo dell'Italia fra Unione Europea e Nazioni Unite and Inversione dell'onere della prova circa le origini di proprietà e profitti apparentemente ingiustificati nel quadro della lotta all'economia criminale - Centro Nazionale di Prevenzione e Difesa Sociale di Milano.

Teaching activities at university courses, doctoral schools, masters, professional training courses:

Courses of Criminal Law I, Criminal Law II (since 2017-2018, already until 2013-2014) and Criminal Law of Economics, University of Catania

School of specialization for legal professions;

School of Excellence - University of Catania

Teaching activities in many Masters and Training courses in the University of Catania, Napoli, Palermo, Enna, Modena, Perugia, Milano Bocconi, Luiss Roma, Verona –

Training courses organized by CSM - Consiglio Superiore della Magistratura, International School of Police (Caserta), Union of Italian Criminal Chambers, Bar Association,  

Research interests:

 • fundamental principles of Criminal Law; • confiscation, forfeiture, sanctions against illicit assets (and also their application against legal persons) in a comparative and European perspective (mutual recognition); • preventive measures; administrative sanctions and principles of the European Union’s punitive system; • fundamental rights in the ECHR and in the EC-Treaty; • European Criminal Law; • comparative Criminal Law; • Rome Statute: command responsibility, conspiracy, joint criminal enterprise; • protection of cultural heritage in International Criminal Law; • (criminal) liability of legal persons; stalking; • domestic violence and gender based violence; self-laundering; • freedom of religion; • self-money laundering

Partecipations in several national and international conferences, in Italy and abroad

Language skills: Italian, English and German.