‘Ndrangheta, the Review releases the former mayor of Casabona: the charge of external complicity is dropped but the charge of vote swapping remains

John

By John

The Court of Review of Catanzaro annulled the accusation of external complicity in a mafia association but confirmed that of mafia political exchange vote contested against the now former mayor of Casabona (kr) Francesco Seminario, 54-year-old lawyer, leading exponent of the Democratic Party, who ended up in prison on 4 October following a precautionary order issued by the investigating judge at the request of the Catanzaro district anti-mafia directorate. Consequently, the Review ordered the release of Seminario, who after the arrest had resigned from the position of mayor, subjecting him to house arrest.

The municipal councilor is also involved in the same investigation Anselmo De Giacomowho ended up under house arrest for vote swapping, while the deputy mayor is under investigation Leonardo Melfi and the advisor Vincenzo Poerio. The investigative activity focuses on the interference in the local public administration of the mafia association which was already known to the DDA following the 2018 operation Stige. Association which had reconstituted itself around the head of the family Carlo Mario Tallarico and to his sons Daniele, Ludovico and Sergio supported by the members Luigi Gagliardi, Francesco De Paola, Cataldo Poerio and Giuseppe Pullerà. Their aim, after the end of the period of commissionership due to the dissolution of the Municipality in 2019 following the Stige operation, would have been to influence the choices of the administrators. For this reason, as the DDA claims, a pact was made so that the gang supported Seminario’s list, who was then actually elected mayor in October 2021.