Un interrogatorio “affollato”.

The paper examines judicial interrogation as a form of asymmetric institutional interaction within the context of Italian criminal law, focusing on a case of particular significance: the interrogation of the businessman Massimo Ciancimino on 19 October 2009, conducted by six public prosecutors. After providing a theoretical and procedural framework of interrogation during the preliminary investigation phase, the study offers a qualitative analysis of the transcribed data using tools from conversation analysis and pragmatic linguistics. Attention is devoted to the management of turn-taking, power dynamics, the discursive strategies adopted by the prosecutors and the responses of the interviewee, as well as to the observance of “face” and the modalities of implicit sanctioning. The analysis highlights the peculiarities of a “crowded” interrogation, characterized by cooperation among multiple directors of the interaction, an often pressing pace, and a restriction of the interviewee’s interactional space, who at certain moments displays tension and abrupt attitudes. The paper shows how, despite strong institutional asymmetry, complex and sometimes atypical dynamics emerge, making the interrogation a relevant case study for understanding judicial interactions.