Legal Definitions - delatura

Delatura refers to a historical practice where an individual received a reward for providing information that led to the discovery or prosecution of a crime, wrongdoing, or violation of law. It was essentially a payment or other form of compensation given to an informer for their valuable intelligence.

• Example 1: Ancient Roman Tax Evasion

  In ancient Rome, if a citizen discovered that a wealthy landowner was deliberately underreporting their agricultural output to avoid paying the full amount of taxes due to the state, and subsequently reported this to the Roman authorities, they might be eligible for a delatura. If the landowner was investigated, found guilty, and forced to pay the outstanding taxes and a penalty, the informer could receive a portion of the recovered funds as their reward for exposing the fraud.

  This illustrates delatura because the citizen received a financial reward for providing information that led to the successful prosecution and recovery of funds from a tax evader.

• Example 2: Medieval Smuggling Ring

  Consider a scenario in a medieval port town where a dockworker uncovers a sophisticated smuggling operation, bringing in valuable goods without paying the required customs duties to the local lord. The dockworker, motivated by the potential for gain, reports the details of the operation, including the identities of the smugglers and their hidden caches, to the lord's customs officials. Upon the successful raid and confiscation of the smuggled goods, the lord might grant the dockworker a sum of money or a share of the confiscated items as a delatura for their crucial intelligence.

  Here, the dockworker received a reward (money or goods) for informing authorities about illegal smuggling activities, directly demonstrating the concept of delatura.

• Example 3: 17th Century Naval Deserters

  During the 17th century, a former sailor in a European navy might learn the whereabouts of several crew members who deserted their posts during a critical naval campaign. Knowing that desertion was a serious offense, the former sailor reports this information to the naval authorities. If the deserters are subsequently apprehended and returned to service or punished, the informer could receive a bounty or a small pension as a delatura for assisting in the enforcement of military law.

  This example shows delatura as a reward given to an individual for providing information that helped authorities locate and deal with military deserters, reinforcing discipline and law.