Elisabetta Garzo

Elisabetta Garzo was born in Naples and graduated in Law with honours from the Faculty of Law of Naples, discussing a thesis on criminal law. In August 1977, Ms. Garzo took part in the public exam for the judiciary, obtaining an appointment as a legal auditor. After a period of training at the Court of Appeals of Naples, in 1980 she was assigned to the Court of Milan where she served as a judge of the 7th Criminal Section. In 1983, she was transferred to the Court of Naples, and subsequently to the local District Court, where she held the position of Magistrate in the detached sections of Ottaviano and Torre Annunziata. In 1992 she was assigned to the Court of Naples’s 2nd Criminal Section, an office in charge of preventative measures, performing the functions of judge for both ordinary matters and the application of the aforementioned measures. About a year later, she was transferred to the 3rd Criminal Section, where she constantly carried out the functions of President of the 2nd Panel of Judges. Not longer afterwards, she was appointed magistrate of the Court of Cassation, presiding over Panel B of the 3rd Criminal Section of the Court of Naples and directing several extremely complex and delicate hearings with many defendants, including the very famous trials on the nationwide political corruption system nicknamed Tangentopoli. By resolution of March 10, 2005, the Supreme Council of the Judiciary ordered her appointment as President of the Chamber at the Court of S. Maria Capua Vetere, where she headed the Second Section of the Court of Assizes, directing trials against detained defendants, most of whom belonged to the so-called Casalesi clan, a very dangerous and violent wide criminal group. In 2010, she was appointed President of the Tribunal of Vallo della Lucania, to then become President of the Tribunal of North Naples, a newly-established judicial office whose district includes 38 municipalities belonging to the provinces of both Naples and Caserta, with an estimated catchment area of over one million inhabitants, making it one of the most important tribunals in Italy, holding such position until 2020. By decision dated January 22, 2020, the High Council of the Italian Judiciary unanimously appointed Ms. Elisabetta Garzo to the post of President of the Court of Naples, a position she officially assumed on February 27, 2020 , and that was confirmed for the four-year period 2024-2028. She also is an honorary member of the Cattolica Montemurro-D’Ippolito University, and a member of the University’s Honorary Committee.

Reasons for assigning the Award

A magistrate since 1977, Elisabetta Garzo held several positions and directed extremely complex and delicate hearings, including trials against many co-defendants. She has a deep knowledge of the peculiar cultural and judicial realities of the Neapolitan territory, and performed several delicate public functions, exercising them with extraordinary dignity and firmness. Since 2020, she has held the prestigious role of President of the Court of Naples, always remaining at the forefront of the fight against organized crime. The professionalism, dedication, balance, availability and constructive spirit that distinguish her daily work have unequivocally gained her the esteem of the common people, as well as of her colleagues and the entire legal milieu.