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CRIME

Italy demands €2 million in ‘expenses’ from the family of mafia boss Totò Riina

The Italian state has presented the family of late mafia ‘boss of bosses’ Salvatore 'Totò' Riina with a bill for expenses incurred during his 24-year imprisonment.

Published: 8 January 2019 16:20 CET
Italy demands €2 million in ‘expenses’ from the family of mafia boss Totò Riina
Corleone, Sicily, is the historic stronghold of the Cosa Nostra mafia clan. Photo: AFP

Riina’s family lawyer Luca Cianferoni said the two million euro bill presented by local tax authorities in Sicily seemed to be a “mistake.”

“The law expressly excludes that the reimbursement for costs in prison extends to the heirs of the condemned. So we're studying the matter closely,” he told Italian media.

Riina’s family already seem to be in financial difficulty after having much of their property confiscated.

His son-in-law pleaded poverty and begged for money online, and other family members have been trying to sell products including coffee and olive oil using Riina’s name.

READ ALSO: Italy's 'Ndrangheta mafia 'on all continents' and still growing

Former Sicilian mafia godfather Riina died of cancer in prison in November 2017.

Arrested on January 15, 1993 after evading police for 23 years, Riina was considered the undisputed leader of the Cosa Nostra.

He had been serving 26 life sentences after being convicted of ordering more than 150 murders.

An early police shot of Salvatore 'Toto' Riina. Photo: public domain via Adri08/Wikimedia Commons.

Nicknamed “The Beast” because of his cruelty, Riina led a reign of terror for decades after taking control of Sicily's powerful organised crime families in the 1970s.

The most high-profile murders he ordered were those of anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino in 1992. The two judges were famous for their groundbreaking work in bringing more than 300 mobsters to trial in 1987.

In 2009 he broke the mafia code of omerta – a vow of silence – and surprised those who thought he would take his secrets to the grave by admitting his link to the mob.

Riina was buried in his hometown of Corleone, near Palermo.

Last month the Sicilian mafia attempted to reorganise and appoint a new ‘boss of bosses’. But anti-mafia police interrupted the initiation of Riina’s replacement, Settimino Mineo, arresting him along with 45 other suspected Mafiosi.

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POLITICS

Italy’s Liguria regional president arrested in corruption probe

The president of Italy's northwest Liguria region and the ex-head of Genoa's port were among 10 arrested on Tuesday in a sweeping anti-corruption investigation which also targeted officials for alleged mafia ties.

Published: 7 May 2024 12:52 CEST
Italy's Liguria regional president arrested in corruption probe

Liguria President Giovanni Toti, a right-wing former MEP who was close to late prime minister Silvio Berlusconi but is no longer party aligned, was placed under house arrest, Genoa prosecutors said in a statement.

The 55-year-old is accused of having accepted 74,100 euros in funds for his election campaign between December 2021 and March 2023 from prominent local businessmen, Aldo Spinelli and his son Roberto Spinelli, in return for various favours.

These allegedly included seeking to privatise a public beach and speeding up the renewal for 30 years of the lease of a Genoa port terminal to a Spinelli family-controlled company, which was approved in December 2021.

A total of 10 people were targeted in the probe, also including Paolo Emilio Signorini, who stepped down last year as head of the Genoa Port Authority, one of the largest in Italy. He was being held in jail on Tuesday.

He is accused of having accepted from Aldo Spinelli benefits including cash, 22 stays in a luxury hotel in Monte Carlo – complete with casino chips, massages and beauty treatments – and luxury items including a 7,200-euro Cartier bracelet.

The ex-port boss, who went on to lead energy group Iren, was also promised a 300,000-euro-a-year job when his tenure expires, prosecutors said.

In return, Signorini was said to have granted Aldo Spinelli favours including also working to speed up the renewal of the family’s port concession.

The Spinellis are themselves accused of corruption, with Aldo – an ex-president of the Genoa and Livorno football clubs – placed under house arrest and his son Roberto temporarily banned from conducting business dealings.

In a separate strand of the investigation, Toti’s chief of staff, Matteo Cozzani, was placed under house arrest accused of “electoral corruption” which facilitated the activities of Sicily’s Cosa Nostra Mafia.

As regional coordinator during local elections in 2020, he was accused of promising jobs and public housing in return for the votes of at least 400 Sicilian residents of Genoa.

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