Major Mafia trial opens over case that rattled Italy
Print Edition
The alleged ringleaders of a mafia gang whose criminal tentacles reached into almost every department of Rome鈥檚 City Hall went on trial yesterday on a landmark day for Italy鈥檚 battle against organized crime.
Massimo Carminati, a convicted gangster with a history of involvement with violent far-right groups, and 45 others are accused of operating a mafia-style network that used extortion, fraud and theft to divert millions of euros destined for public services into their own pockets.
Carminati and his alleged right-hand man Salvatore Buzzi, a convicted murderer, followed yesterday鈥檚 opening session in Rome鈥檚 criminal court by video link from their prison cells, their presence in court having been deemed a security risk.
Prosecutors say the racketeering in Rome went on for years, helped to bring the city to the brink of financial collapse and contributed to the current sorry state of its infrastructure and many of its public services.
Among those on trial are local politicians, businessmen and officials. All are implicated in rigging tenders and other corrupt schemes designed to siphon off cash destined for everything from garbage recycling to the reception of refugees.
Hundreds more, including former Mayor Gianni Alemanno, have been investigated in a case dubbed 鈥淢afia Capitale鈥 by prosecutors.
The scale and nature of the case make it the most significant anti-corruption operation in Italy since the 鈥渃lean hands鈥 campaign of the early 1990s led to half the country鈥檚 lawmakers being indicted for taking bribes.
Carminati was given a 10-year prison term in 1998 for membership of the Banda della Magliana, a criminal crew which ruled Rome鈥檚 underworld in the 1970s and 1980s and, prosecutors say, has reinvented itself in the form of Mafia Capitale.
Carminati is also a former member of the Nuclei Armati Rivoluzionari, a far-right group that was involved in the 1980 bombing of Bologna railway station which left 85 people dead. He lost his left eye in a 1981 shoot-out with police.
Buzzi was convicted in 1983 of murdering an accomplice in a cheque-stealing scam who confessed to police.
The brutal killing 鈥 the victim was stabbed 34 times 鈥 resulted in Buzzi receiving a 30-year prison sentence. But he served only six behind bars after using his jail time to pursue his education and earn a reputation as a reformed character.
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