CIVIL AND FINANCIAL REGISTRY
Testimony by Paola DiMeglio
Note: the three *** are for concrete names.
September 1996
At the Town Registry we turn us in a first moment to an acquaintance who at that time lives in front of my house, *** . She enters the office of the Civil State and she go out from there after some time, very pale. She tells us that we would have been able to obtain the integral certificate on authorization of the Proxy of the Republic, on written request of his mother, because of the necessity of the consent for the reserved news, as in all the cases of adoption.
This convinces me that there must be one. First months of 1997.
Continuing our searches at the Town Registry, we turn us, in the first months of 1997, to an other (ex) friend of mine who works in Town Hall: *** . Repeatedly, in front of us, she consults the computer connected to the Registry, but Ivano results to be “non existent subject”. Yet ao the Registry from different years it has been loaded, over those born in Cuneo (as it resulted us to be Ivano) also those people that at least once had had the residence. I also result there, born in Naples and even my ex husband who was not born in Cuneo and doesn’t reside anymore during the interrogation of the data on the computer.
*** , however, affirms that she would certainly have got to the bottom of the matter, being able to access all the data, also the most reserved of the adopted subjects. Instead she doesn’t tell us anything, but only that Ivano stays for the registry of Cuneo a “non existent subject.” Yet at the Tributary Registry he exists! From this moment *** will avoid me with attention! We directly return after some time to the window of the Civil State:
the employee consults the computer and she doesn’t even find the nominative.
Then, after other failed attempts, she opens in front of us a very old and big register.
You can just make out a long annotation, but the employee acknowledges our attention and removes the register from our sight, going away. She recopies few data on a sheet, giving us, in practice a “simple” birth certificate, without even any indication of paternity and maternity, sustaining that is also valid for marriage use. Then we try again with another acquaintance of mine, *** . She too consults first the computer of her own office. Later she directly consults another one in the offices of the Registry. Ivano always results a “non existent subject.” Then she directs her steps to the Civil State. From where I wait I can see well what she is doing. She enters the office and takes the same register that the other employee had consulted in our presence; she stays bowed on it and she reads it for long time, for some minutes, very tense. When she goes out (it seems to us after 20 minutes), she is pale and stunned. She tells us that there is no particular piece of news; she writes on a piece of paper the name of the obstetrician (Mrs. ***) and then she adds that the Magistracy would not have been able to allow us to know more, because what is to know is all there. From that day *** she carefully has always me avoided and also her mother of whom I was friend doesn’t have more me frequented. Even once both, at the sight of Ivano that accompanied me, they have literally escaped. After a few days I contact by telephone the obstetrician *** . She doesn’t ask me who I am or how dare I call her without knowing her. Neither she is amazed, nor even she is indignant, when – brutally entering matter – I ask her why 40 years ago, in the hospital of “Via Malta” in Cuneo, it had been declared as been born after a complete pregnancy a dwarfish child, who weighed at the most 1,7 kg and hadn’t even the fingernails. She answers me that it is not the case to trouble: he is a beautiful strong boy and he doesn’t miss anything! Only (I quote textual words) he was “born not well finished up”! et she should not even know of whom I speak. As a matter of fact, since the first telephone cues she has shown to know well of whom it is about. Not only: all of a sudden she has affirmed that if there has been the exchange of children (and I don’t absolutely even mentioned to nothing of that kind) it was not sure that it had been her, because it was not certain that there was her in turn that day. When I underline the gravity of her affirmations, then, and only then she asks me the name of the person concerned, telling that she herself would have applied for clarity to the Judicial Authority. In the Office where I work (Receipts Agency, at the time of the facts Direct Taxes Office of Cuneo) the colleagues begin to behave at least in strange way. When I arrive, they suddenly stop speaking, and all they are often and mysteriously connected to the Tributary Registry. The computers, always left connected before to the Tributary Registry, are carefully disconnected from the central system.
From my interrogations to the Tributary Registry, Ivano not only results to be existing, but also “relationships with other subjects” are underlined, as in all the cases of homo-code or confluences.
I don’t succeed, however to go over, the computer always stopping itself on his name. I have hard job to obtain the key of access, I succeed to have later only that of least level. Trying to understand what it is happening and sticking willingly to general terms, I ask then to one colleague of mine (***) who at that time frequents me also out of job (we have spent the Easter together) to help me to understand what they are “trafficking” in the Office through the Tributary Registry against a person very friend of mine. She declares troubled not to know anything about it, but the anxiety and the pallor betray her. The day after another colleague, *** ,
asks me without roundabout expressions what I intend to do relatively to the matter of which I spoke with *** .I answer her that I would have waited for, sure that truth would have come out soon. Since then on both have avoided me.
January 1998
Ivano comes deliberately to take me at the exit from the job. The colleagues, who before frequented me and also knew him, were going out together from the Office. At the sight of Ivano they stay practically immovable, they were almost petrified and they don’t even succeed in estranging from the front door, pale and even trembling. When, the next morning, I ask them explanations, I don’t receive any answer. By way of compensation they immediately fail to greet me.
Summer 1998
Also the employee of the Town Hall, *** , didn’t have me more frequented, after our searches at the Registry of Cuneo; One day, however, Ivano and I met her in Galimberti plaza and, after different attempts of her to avoid us, we invited her to have a coffee together with us. We brought the discourse on the famous certificate and on the register on which we had glimpse the long annotation. I am not sure that Ivano has suggested the last name “Savoia”, but I am certain that *** pronounced “from mother’s side”, affirming that his mother was, precisely, a Savoia.
November 2000
At the Tributary Registry I find the correspondence of Ivano Tassone with Palhevi Savoia Garro, been born November 12th 1957 in Iran.
I immediately inform Ivano who in his turn communicates it to the marshal. I will know that he himself will make then some searches at the office of Mondovì, acquiring further useful data.
August 2001
Every time we turned to someone or also Institutions, as Registry or Judges, it has been always said that what we looked for, i.e. the papery documentation of the true identity of Ivano, was also elsewhere. In reality every of the consulted ones tried to avoid any risk and sent us to an “elsewhere” that however he almost ever pointed out. In the case of the search of the practice of adoption, nevertheless, the “passing the buck” was very precise: Cuneo sent us to Turin and vice versa. Yet at the Court of Cuneo they were really materially delivering us the practice of adoption. The young employee, who was at the Civil Chancellery, didn’t have any doubt on the legitimacy of the request of Ivano who, as the person directly concerned, surely had the right to acquire the requested documents, in compliance with all regulations (Law on the transparency, law on the privacy). If it had not intervened the strange character who literally warned him to deliver even only a trace of what we looked for, literally terrorizing him, we would have succeeded in having all. Not yet this gentleman could deny what it was affirmed before by the employee of the Chancellery. He didn’t denied that Ivano had the right to see the practice of adoption. Shamelessly he denied it was there, and, summoning us to go out, he badly tell us to turn us to the Juvenile Court in Turin. In reality all the contacted people realized to do an abuse denying the requested data, they not only contradicted each other, but also himself. There was a phase of the discussion in which Mrs. *** of the Registry of Cuneo, during our umpteenth attempt to access the data, admitted, finally, the right of Ivano to access his documents, but later she denied it again. I would have liked to press her more while she was being in evident contradiction, but I couldn’t do it because prevented by Ivano himself who in that occasion, as in other similar circumstances, used extremely polite ways, too much for my taste. At the end everyone sent us elsewhere, also making clear reference to Lucy Garro who surely had other documents or knew where to retrieve them, as concerned person. We had the certainty of the falsehood of the declarations of the employees at the various offices. I felt to be taken for a ride in the most shameful way. I imagined what Ivano had to feel! How could the employee of the Chancellery of a Court think to deliver us the practice of the affiliation – though perhaps in copy -, if this had not been legitimate? How, instead, could a Town Hall employee affirm that he required, for a simple extract of birth, the authorization of the Proxy of Cuneo? Besides, at the beginning, ***, realizing that in the computer of the Town Registry there were no data of Ivano, she said it had to an error, that it was not possible. Only a few days later, after having consulted herself with some superior, she affirmed that the data was updated only since 1970. But it was not true, she herself had shown us on the video homonyms of Tassone Ivano been born before 1970. Then she spoke of a secret file. The Manager of the Direct Taxes Office of Cuneo, far from showing wonder when, after marshal B.’s visit, I had expressly asked him the documents of the identity of Ivano, only worried to underline that, being the last arrival, he didn’t want to be the scapegoat. Another colleague, employed at the terminals of the Office, had tried to deny even the evidence of what it was written on the just printed interrogation: “relationships with other subjects”, while she tried to pull the sheet away of my hand.
Summer 2004
And what can I say of the others who dared deny what they were unwisely allowed to escape from lips at telephone with Ivano around the existence “of another name on the same code”…..? ? To my pressure they tried save themselves suggesting other places where we would to be able to clarify, perhaps at Town Hall… One common acquaintance of ours, ***, was completely refused to help Ivano when he had asked him, nevertheless she boasted a lot of acquaintances at the Registry of Cuneo. In that occasion he didn’t even mentioned to his true identity, but she had declared that his situation was too much delicate. I met her this summer and speaking of Ivano, I have told her “point-blank”: “You know who is really!”. Taken unawares she immediately answered: “Yes, he was the son of” – interrupting herself afraid – “… what’s-it-name …”. “No, I answered, he is the son of the Shah, he is still alive.”. It was very pale while I was assuring her, saying goodbye, that truth would have soon come to light.
Declarations of the concerned person
For three times consecutively, with witnesses, I listen to answer me at the Town Registry of Cuneo that Tassone Ivano was “non existent subject“. Of the various employees, who all consulted for a long time, seen by me and by other witnesses, an old registry with several notations, horrified and pale, two advised us to turn us to the Proxy, while the third one delivered us a sheet of paper with the particulars of my front identity, without signature, nor date. The Italian Autorithies have always blocked the access to my documents, also the one of adoption, repeatedly affirmed existing nearby the Court, in presence of me and witnesses; the affiliating mother would have to submit the application. Lucia Garro, the affiliating mother, and I went to the Town Registry of Cuneo to request the integral certificate of my birth; It was requested us the authorization of the Proxy; obtained it and come back to the Town Registry, is was delivered us the birth integral certificate, but the artificially made one…