A court on Monday (20) sentenced more than 230 defendants at the conclusion of one of the biggest mafia-related trials ever seen in Italy, which targeted the ‘Ndrangheta criminal group in its home region of southern Calabria.
More than 330 alleged mobsters and alleged associates, including white-collar professionals, faced a range of charges including racketeering, drug trafficking and robbery in the trial that lasted nearly three years.
Italian news agency Ansa said it took the judges an hour and 40 minutes just to read the verdict. The heaviest sentences were applied to Saverio Razionale and Domenico Bonavota, two local leaders of the Calabrian mafia, both sentenced to 30-year sentences.
“Today’s decision means that an entire province of Calabria has been freed from the top brass of the criminal group,” Nicola Gratteri, one of Italy’s best-known magistrates and the former lead prosecutor in the case, told Reuters.
Among those convicted was Giancarlo Pittelli, lawyer and former politician from the Forza Italia party – a member of the national government coalition – sentenced to 11 years in prison for collusion with the mafia and transmission of information.
Gratteri, who changed jobs two months ago to become chief prosecutor in Naples, said confirming the link between the ‘Ndrangheta and a network of professionals was a central aspect of the verdict.
Giorgio Naselli, former chief of the local police, was sentenced to two years and six months.
The prosecution, however, did not obtain as heavy sentences as it had sought in several cases and around 100 of those on trial were acquitted.
This Monday’s first instance decision is subject to appeal by both the defense and the prosecution.
The ‘Ndrangheta is considered by prosecutors to be Italy’s most powerful mafia group, easily eclipsing the more famous Cosa Nostra in Sicily, with an influence that extends across Europe and beyond.
Source: CNN Brasil
Bruce Belcher is a seasoned author with over 5 years of experience in world news. He writes for online news websites and provides in-depth analysis on the world stock market. Bruce is known for his insightful perspectives and commitment to keeping the public informed.
