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Matthew Vella
The confessions of Francesco Campanello, turned state’s evidence in the investigation of a tender for a EUR200 million commercial centre in Villabate, a small village outside Palermo, have revealed a Maltese company was used to transfer a EUR50 million bribe to local politicians.
The company, as yet unnamed, belongs to former Catania mayor Angelo Francesco Lo Presti, from which the bribe was transferred to the bank account of a grocer in Villabate, posing as the commercial centre’s technical consultant. From there the bribe was expected to be passed on to the developers of the commercial centre, Paolo Marussig and the company Asset Development, to sap any political resistance to the project.
Lo Presti was Catania’s short-lived mayor between March and June 1992. Among his various incursions with the law, he had been investigated for corruption on a Lire 1,500 million bribe. He was later suspended from the Christian Democract Centre party.
A total of 18 arrests all over Italy were made this week after confessions by Campanello led to the rounding up of businessmen, politicians, and other Villabate mafiosi who organised a welcome reception for Mafia godfather Bernardo Provenzano, on the fugitive’s return to Sicily from Marseilles, after having done prostate surgery in 2003.
The indicated include Villabate mafia boss Nino Mandalà, former Villabate mayor Lorenzo Carandino, Lo Presti, and the developers of the commercial centre, which include a consultant of Rome mayor Walter Veltroni, all accused of association with mafia, extortion and corruption.
Campanella was president of Villabate’s communal council, and who was in charge of the proposed EUR200 million shopping mall, described by the Italian press as the “pact of steel” between the Villabate mafia and local, regional and national politicians.
Sicily’s governor Totò Cuffaro, already held in questioning for mafia association, was identified as having given the go-ahead to the development of the commercial centre, but then repealed his blessing after asking for a EUR5,000 million bribe, and then sponsoring a competing commercial centre in Brancaccio connected to the clan of boss Giuseppe Guttadauro.
According to declarations by entrepreneur Marussig, Cuffaro and his under-secretary Saverio Romano were responsible for getting another development company into contact with the Brancaccio clan.
Provenzano, the boss of the Corleonesi, has been a fugitive from the law since 1963, many suspecting he is still in Sicily. Like his predecessor Totò Riina, who was finally arrested at his home address after 20 years on the run, many believe Provenzano is protected by higher authorities.
Provenzano manages Cosa Nostra with hand-delivered, small, tightly folded pieces of paper, known as pizzini. Despite being on the run, there have been reports that he checked into a clinic three years ago in Agrigento. There is also proof he travelled to France for surgery, even being reimbursed by the Italian National Health Care system.
mvella@mediatoday.com.mt
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