Phiên xử mafia tiếp tục tại Ý

Một trong những phiên xử lớn nhất trong thời gian gần đây với một nhóm bị cáo giác là các tay gangster tại Ý sẽ tiếp tục sau một cuộc điều tra lớn về tội phạm. Người ta cáo giác là mafia đã mở rộng phạm vi hoạt động từ miền tới miền bắc giàu có hơn.



Milan's mayor says the mafia doesn't exist in Italy's fashion capital. That view is not shared by prosecutors who say criminals from Italy's deep south are hard at work in the city and its hinterland. 39 alleged members of the little known but powerful Calabrian mafia, the 'Ndrangheta, are on trial. They're accused of extortion, loan-sharking and robbery, and of cultivating a climate of fear more often associated with the back streets of Naples or Palermo than Milan.

Prosecutors say such is the terror they inspire that only three victims out of 50 have so far agreed to give evidence. Milan and the region of Lombardy, of which it is capital, has obvious attractions for the 'Ndrangheta. Whereas Calabria is the poorest region of Italy, Lombardy is the richest. It also has a large émigré Calabrian community - people who moved north to find work - some of whom are prepared to help criminals from their home region.

The recession has added to the allure, providing opportunities for mafia godfathers to buy up failing, legitimate businesses in order to launder their ill-gotten gains. And Italian crime-watchers say the prospect of the World Trade Fair, which Milan is due to host in 2015, has the bosses licking their lips in anticipation of the rich pickings there for the taking.

So powerful has the 'Ndrangheta become in the north, according to one senior anti-mafia prosecutor, that Milan is now the capital of organised crime in Italy.