Apr 05 2007
Italian official netted in Mafia arrests
PALERMO, Italy (UPI) — Italian officials say an anti-Mafia sweep Wednesday netted a top Sicilian politician.
Bartolo Pellegrino, former deputy chief of Sicily’s regional government and the leader of the New Sicily political movement, was arrested on charges of Mafia association, corruption and extortion, the Italian news service ANSA said.
Francesco Nasca, a former government official in the western coastal city of Trapani, and three businessmen were also arrested.
ANSA said Francesco Pace, believed to be the head of the Trapani Mafia, was also served with an arrest warrant but is already in jail on other charges.
Prosecutors allege Pellegrino acted as a go-between for Trapani Mafia bosses and Sicilian politics. He is accused of helping the Mafia maintain control over local construction and urban planning projects and selecting political candidates with guidance from the mob, the news service said.
April 5, 2007, 07:26 AM Copyright © 2007 by United Press International http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=T&ct=us/0-0&fd=R&url=http://www.imedinews.ge/en/news_read/31336&cid=1115102151&ei=SnoURoq5AovSqQOU9JXiAw
