This night, the Carabinieri – at the disposal of the Judicial Authority of Catanzaro – carried out a precautionary custody order in prison against Francesco Bruno, believed to be the head of the clan of the same name based in Vallefiorita and surrounding areas. The provision is part of the “Scolacium” procedure.
The precautionary measure follows the recent sentence, in first instance, to 11 years and 8 months of imprisonment, inflicted a few days ago by the Catanzaro Gup.
However, it should be remembered that Bruno’s trial process has already been marked by previous precautionary vicissitudes: the first custody order was annulled by the Court of Cassation, upon appeal by the defenders; the annulment was in turn confirmed by the Court of Review;
during these years, Bruno was subjected to the special detention regime 41-bis.
In the meantime, during the second appeal of the procedure called “Operation Jonny” – established by the DDA of Catanzaro for alleged mafia infiltration in procurement, migrant management and reception – the Court of Appeal acquitted Francesco Bruno of the charge of being “top of the Vallefiorita clan”. The acquittal came after the suspect had served a total of seven years in pre-trial detention in prison.
The Scolacium sentence is the continuation of the Jonny trial, and according to the prosecution Bruno would in fact have continued to give orders to affiliates from the prison where he was confined.
Bruno is assisted by lawyers Salvatore Staiano and Antonio Lomonaco, who have already announced their intention to appeal as soon as the reasons for the conviction are filed and, in the meantime, will also appeal the new precautionary order.