The Italian Justice System

I understand almost nothing about the justice system in Italy, but I've read three entertaining books that give examples of cases where prosecutors in Italy have constructed elaborate cases based on paranoid conspiracy theories. Foreigners and natives in Italy go to jail for decades for reasons we might consider absurd. But of course prosecutors bring good cases, too. The Sunday paper had an interesting article from the McClatchy news service. In 2003, under orders from President Bush and Condileezza Rice, the CIA stupidly renditioned (kidnapped) a radical Muslim cleric in Milan and flew him to Egypt, where the Egyptians somewhat reluctantly tortured him and held him in prison for a few years, finally releasing him because there was no evidence he had committed a crime. The Italians coped with this incident by conducting a trial in absentia of  many Americans (not including Bush and Rice, of course, who skated free). In the end 23  absent Americans were found guilty and sentenced to terms in prison. The catch is that 19 of the Americans on trial didn't exist. Also they lacked adequate legal representation.