THE DIREZIONE INVESTIGATIVA ANTIMAFIA SEIZED ASSETS FROM A PALERMO-BASED ENTREPRENEUR

The Direzione Investigativa Antimafia, within the Department of Public Security, upon the order of the Court in Palermo, carried out a seizure order of movable and unmovable assets and corporate shares belonging to an entrepreneur operating in the building sector. Previously the man had already been arrested in another antimafia operation. He was sentenced  by the Court of Appeal in Palermo to 5 years in prison as a member of the so-called  mafia-type association “Cosa Nostra”. Within the association, he was tasked with maintaining relationships between the affiliates and a fugitive boss, and informing the latter about all relevant matters of the association. He was tasked also with the cash flow of the family, as he had to collect huge sums of money.

The order is based on a proposal of application of a preventive measure, signed jointly by  the Public Prosecutor in Palermo and the DIA Director, following complex and in-depth asset checks. The investigators,  traced back the accounts of the whole family of the affected person. Thus, they determined a considerable disproportion between the legal income and the huge assets, including movable assets, real estate properties and companies stemming from illegal activities carried out over the years. Therefore, the Court in Palermo judged the above-mentioned entrepreneur to represent a qualified social dangerousness and ordered the seizure of his assets, comprising real estate properties, building plots, as well as a 95 % share of a building company, the social capital and  the company assets of another company operating in the same sector, registered for the son of the affected party, vehicles, bank accounts and financial resources,  for an overall value of approx. 500 thousand euros.

Palermo, 11 July 2022