Government cuts courts, saves tribunals in mafia-hit areas Move part of government cuts

(ANSA) - Rome, August 10 - Italy's cabinet on Friday agreed to abolish 31 courthouses as part of spending cuts.Originally the executive had planned to eliminate 37 courts, but six were reprieved.Courts have not been abolished in areas highly prone to organised crime, the government said. Instead, the government has eliminated 220 court branch offices that are separate from the main tribunals and 667 justice of the peace offices."The government does not intend to take a step back in any way in the fight against mafias, not even in symbolic terms," said Justice Minister Paola Severino.The cuts were in line with the assessments given by the House and Senate justice commissions and CSM, the judiciary's self-governing body.