Italian
authorities have seized more than 1 billion euros from five siblings who
allegedly used Mafia connections to expand their business. The group had
previously testified against another Cosa Nostra family.
A family of
Italian entrepreneurs described by the local media as the "kings of
concrete" have had 1.6 bilion euros (1.76 billion dollars) of their assets
seized by police after they were accused of having close ties with the Sicilian
Mafia, despite having previously been praised for standing up as victims of
organized crime.
The sum
seized from the Virga family is one of the largest ever in Mafia-related
investigations. They are believed to be affiliated with the Cosa Nostra
syndicate from their hometown Marineo, about 30 kilometers (18 miles) south of
the Sicilian capital of Palermo.
The Marineo
mafia clan is also linked to the well-known Corleone family according to
Italy's anti-Mafia agency (DIA).
The
authorities suspect that it was the Virgas' mob connections that help the three
brothers and two sisters win lucrative public contracts in the construction
business.
In 2013,
the Virgas were heralded as a positive example by anti-Mafia organizations like
Addiopizzo when they testified as victims of five mafiosos on trial at the time
for racketeering.
In recent
years, crime syndicates from Sicily and Naples have used the recession
triggered by the global financial crisis to extend their reach northward from
their traditional south roots. In 2014, Italy tied with Romania as the most
corrupt country in the European Union in Transparency International's annual
table.
es/kms (AFP, dpa, Reuters)
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