Reggio Calabria, 'ndrangheta, electoral crimes and corruption: 14 precautionary measures issued

June 11, 2024, ROS (Special Operational Group) with support in the executive phase of the Provincial Carabinieri Command of Reggio Calabria and the Helicopter Carabinieri Squadron “Cacciatori” Calabria - ha executed a precautionary custody order of the Court of Reggio Calabria issued at the request of the local Public Prosecutor's Office - District Anti-Mafia and Anti-Terrorism Directorate headed by Dr. Giovanni Bombardieri, against 14 people (of which 7 in prison, 4 under house arrest and 3 with the obligation to report to the Judicial Police) suspects, for various reasons - at the state of the proceedings still in the preliminary investigation phase and subject to different evaluations in the subsequent phases - of mafia-type association, extortion aggravated by the mafia method, electoral crimes, corruption for an act contrary to official duties, material falsehood e ideology committed by a public official in public acts.

The investigations, conducted by the ROS under the direction of the Public Prosecutor's Office of Reggio Calabria, they concentrated on the gang “Aranites”, hegemonic in the Sambatello territory (Reggio Calabria), and would have allowed outline its structures, extortion activities to the detriment of public contracts, interference in the management of the “Sambatello” landfill through the imposition, on the companies involved from time to time in the management of the plant, of the personnel to be hired and the relations with the homologous criminal gangs active in the bordering territories of Diminniti and Calanna.  It has also been documented the stringent control exercised over the territory which even led to the limitation of hunting activity in the rural area of ​​the hamlet.

Investigations, launched in 2019, they would also have allowed us to acquire symptomatic elements of the conditioning of the elections - at some polling stations – for the renewal of the Regional Council of Calabria (in 2020 and 2021) and of the Municipal Council of Reggio Calabria (in 2020).

Particularly, a of the suspects achieved by a restrictive measure , tied by family ties to the apical exponent of the ARANITI clan, with the aim of supporting the candidates of interest would have altered - with the complicity of compliant scrutineers - the voting operations, obtaining the ballot papers of citizens unable to vote and expressing, instead of the latter, preference in favor of supported candidates. The aforementioned suspect, after the positive electoral results, obtained appointments from the elected politicians within public bodies or as an external professional.

The Prosecutor's Office, with reference to the episodes of hypothesized conditioning of electoral competitions, has made a request for the application of a precautionary measure for the crime of political-mafia electoral exchange, as well as on subjects linked to mafia syndicates operating within the city, also against a Councillor of the Calabria Region and a Councillor of the Municipality of Reggio Calabria.

The GIP of the Court of Reggio Calabria rejected the precautionary request and the Prosecutor's Office will appeal against this provision.

He is under investigation in the criminal proceedings, again for the crime pursuant to art. 416 ter cp, also the Mayor of Reggio Calabria, against whom, however, no precautionary request had been made as all the legitimizing conditions had not been considered fully integrated for him.