Arrests in Palermo: Connections between Mafia, Politics, and Business
In a shocking development, a committee consisting of public administrators, Freemasons, and members of the mafia has been exposed in Palermo. This committee was formed with the aim of constructing a shopping center in the city. The Carabinieri of the Provincial Command of Palermo have made three arrests (one in prison and two under house arrest) based on the request of the DDA (District Anti-Mafia Directorate). The charges include external collaboration with a criminal organization, aggravated extortion using mafia methods, corruption, and illicit influence trafficking aggravated by favoring the mafia association.
Among those arrested is Mimmo Russo, a former councilor of the Brothers of Italy party and a well-known figure in Palermo, particularly within the world of precarious workers. He is accused of collaborating with a criminal organization and engaging in political-mafia vote exchange. The order for these arrests was issued by Judge Walter Turturici, who accepted the requests of prosecutor Maurizio de Lucia, Deputy Marzia Sabella, and substitute Andrea Fusco. Russo has been placed in custody while Gregorio Marchese and Achille Andò are under house arrest.
These arrests are the result of investigations conducted by the Carabinieri investigative unit in Palermo between 2020 and 2023, delegated by the DDA of Palermo to examine the relationship between a trade unionist, a local administrator of the metropolitan municipality, and members of the Palermo Mafia. The investigations revealed the existence of a committee composed of various interests, including a businessman affiliated with the Freemasons, dedicated to the construction of a shopping center in the Sicilian capital. In this context, the political figure worked to obtain approval for a variation in the city’s urban plan, changing the designation of the land from agricultural to commercial. In exchange for his support, he would receive a significant number of job positions in the upcoming shopping center, to be allocated to individuals linked to organized crime, in exchange for the mafia organization’s electoral support.
Furthermore, the investigation revealed the heavy influence exerted by the politician over the company managing the Palermo racecourse, manipulating its operations to suit the desires of his mafia contacts. He also participated in aggravated extortion alongside these contacts, pressuring freelance professionals who had worked for the economic-sporting entity to renounce part or all of their compensation under threat. The investigation also uncovered promises made by the politician to secure job positions in a company involved in large-scale food distribution, in return for favors within the Palermo municipal offices and a sub-government position for a representative of the same company.
According to Judge Turturici, “Russo was the political mentor of this committee, serving as a councilor and president of the Urban Planning Commission of the Palermo City Council.” The prosecutor’s office asserts that “within the framework of the shopping center project in Roccella, Russo worked to unblock the variation in the urban plan, which was tangled in bureaucratic red tape, with the aim of designating the land as a commercial area. The ultimate goal of this maneuver was for Russo to claim credit for the construction of the shopping center with the interested entrepreneurs and professionals. In return, he could promise job positions in the same shopping center during the municipal elections of 2022, in which he ran as a candidate.”
Intercepted communications revealed that Russo’s entire election campaign was based on a systematic modus operandi, involving promises of votes in exchange for job positions. He used his position as a councilor to establish credibility and exploit his influence within the municipal administration.
These arrests shed light on the dangerous intertwining of mafia interests, politics, and business in Palermo. The investigation serves as a reminder of the ongoing fight against organized crime and corruption in Italy. It is crucial for authorities to continue their efforts to dismantle such networks and ensure that justice is served.
