Italian mafia fugitive serving sentence in Italy, no asylum granted by Malta

A mafia turncoat who was arrested in Malta last year, is currently serving her sentence in Italy, her lawyers confirmed, negating reports that she has been granted asylum in Malta

Donatella Concas, 40, had been living in Mosta before her arrest on 18 October, which happened after her name appeared on a Schengen Information System alert
Donatella Concas, 40, had been living in Mosta before her arrest on 18 October, which happened after her name appeared on a Schengen Information System alert

Italian fugitive Donatella Concas, suspected of belonging to a Camorra, is currently serving her sentence in an Italian prison, her lawyers have told MaltaToday.

The development emerges after a foreign news portal - Metro - reported that Concas had been granted asylum in Malta while she was in hospital being treated for chest pain, and that she was now "living in Malta as a refugee".

The instance refers to an incident that occurred during Concas’ extradition hearing in October last year, which had to be suspended after she had complained of chest pain.

Concas, 40, had been living in Mosta before her arrest on 18 October, which happened after her name appeared on a Schengen Information System alert.

Italian news reports say Concas was convicted of involvement in organised crime, forming part of the main gang in the Veneto region between 2009 and 2011. She allegedly was part of a clan of the Camorra who took advantage of several entrepreneurs' needs, providing liquidity at usurious interest rates.

She had been sentenced to three years, eight months’ imprisonment in 2015 by a Venetian court for participating in organised crime, usury, extortion and illegal possession of weapons.

After her conviction, Concas disappeared without a trace for more than a year and it was only after what were described as “extensive technical investigations,” that she was traced to a residence in Mosta.

Concas claims she had fled Italy in fear of her life after testifying against members of the mafia who were now trying to kill her. Her lawyer, Malcolm Mifsud, had argued that extraditing her would breach her right to life, which is protected by the Constitution.

During her extradition hearing mentioned it the foreign report, the Attorney General had argued that fears were with regard to third parties and not the Italian authorities themselves, therefore the AG was unable to understand how her extradition would breach her right to life.

Lawyer Elaine Mercieca from the Office of the Attorney General was explaining that this was not the first time that the court had dealt with cases of persons with ties to the Mafia, but that the problem was whether her safety could be safeguarded by the Italian judicial authorities.

The court was explaining how the issue before it needed to be resolved within the parameters of the Maltese law and the European Council's framework decision which created the European Arrest Warrant, when proceedings had to be halted as Concas began to complain of chest pain.

The woman was admitted to hospital. However, as her case continued in November, magistrate Aaron Bugeja, presiding the Court of Magistrates, had ruled that her extradition should proceed, basing his decision on the fact that the principal reason behind the creation of the European Arrest Warrant was to ensure expediency and minimise bureaucracy in the implementation of decisions by judicial authorities in participating states. “These principles are based on the concept of reciprocal trust,” he said, without which the system would collapse.