Rome mafia trial begins with 46 accused of systematic corruption
Source: Reuters
Thursday 5 November 2015 12.03 GMT
A one-eyed former neo-fascist gangster has gone on trial alongside 45 other defendants accused of running a mafia crime ring in Rome that skimmed millions of euros off city hall contracts.
Prosecutors say a year-long investigation uncovered systematic corruption in Rome as politicians, bureaucrats and businessmen conspired with mobsters to rig public tenders on everything from creating refugee centres to rubbish collection.
<snip>
Prosecutors have some 36,000 hours of wiretaps to back up their case, Italian media reported, as well as secretly filmed video showing some of the accused allegedly receiving bribes.
<snip>
Prosecutors allege that mobsters flourished in Rome following the 2008 election of the rightwing mayor, Gianni Alemanno, who is under investigation but does not face any mafia-related charges and is not involved in this trial.
Read more: http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/05/mafia-trial-begins-rome-46-accused-corruption