Born in Catania, he was Sicily's president and former member of the European Parliament for the Italian Islands with the Movement for the Autonomies, and has sat on the European Parliament's Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs.

In 2008, he was elected as president of Sicily, obtaining over 65% of the regional votes and defeating Anna Finocchiaro of the Democratic Party (PD).

On 31 July 2012, he resigned from the presidency because he was under investigation for external contribution with mafia and pork-barrelling, as it appears that he had relationships with some figure of Cosa Nostra.

On 19 February 2014, he was sentenced to six years and eight months in prison for mafia association.

[1] In 2022, he was acquitted in the second appeal trial;[2] the acquittal was confirmed by Italy's Supreme Court of Cassation in 2023.