According to a BBC website on the 13th, Italy will start the largest trial against the mafia in nearly 30 years on the 13th local time. It is reported that the total number of defendants is 355. At a recent hearing, it took three hours to read the defendant’s name.
It is expected that the trial will last for more than two years.
It is reported that the large-scale trial mainly targeted the local mafia organization Endrangheita, in addition to politicians, police, business elites and civil servants associated with them. A total of 355 accused are involved, with more than 400 lawyers appearing in court.
More than 900 prosecution witnesses will testify in court.
Most of the defendants were arrested in a series of raids in Italy, Germany, Switzerland and other places in December 2019. The most notorious of these were Luigi Mancuso, the 66-year-old number one of the organization, nicknamed “Uncle”.
It is reported that the mafia organization is famous for controlling the large supply of cocaine into Europe from South America and other places, but its behavior goes far beyond the drug crime problem. Other charges include murder, attempted murder, extortion, usury, disclosure of official secrets and abuse of power.
Due to the large number of people on trial this time, the prosecution had to convert a call center into a courtroom.
The trial was presided over by Nicola Gratri, Italy’s most famous anti-Mafia prosecutor, at the age of 62. Because of the large number of enemies, he has had to live under the protection of the police for the past 30 years.
Another major trial in Italian history occurred in 1986-1987, in which 338 people were convicted, and prosecutors Giovanni Falcone and Paulo Bolcelino were later assassinated by mobs.
