The Lombard, the Maffia and the village of U.S. Sigonella
of Antonio Mazzeo
A deal worth hundreds of millions of euro, the realization in Belper, in the province of Catania, a new village for the military base in Sigonella. On the track we are all right: a large company construction that has made Sicily his Eldorado, professional-link between legal and illegal, the boss of a mafia clan, the entire staff of the political movement of the governor of the island, Raffaele Lombardo. The project, however, involving a high-risk geological terrain and some local officials turn up their nose. But Norman Palace comes a suggestion: "Think about the friend of Catania to resolve 'is history." umpteenth havoc warp building to grab the gold American Sigonella last chapter is devoted to a survey on procurement and Mafia in Sicily Eastern Europe (Operation Iblis), who in November 2010 saw the anti-mafia prosecutor in Catania issued 48 warrants of arrest against politicians, administrators, businessmen and mafia bosses.
A prepare the design, SAFAB - Procurement and Supply Company for Water and Reclamation Spa based in Rome and an enviable portfolio of work in Sicily, from the multistorey car park of the Palace of Justice in Palermo widening of the road Gela-Aragon, from the work of dam Desueri of Gela and irrigation networks to the creation of the reservoir of the Lentini of an incinerator and two landfills Waste Bellolampo (Palermo). In view of its work for the entire U.S., SAFAB had formed two companies, the Housing Volcano and the Volcano Inn, where he had an interest Paolo Ciarrocchi, a former member of the board and technical director of the parent .
"Without the partnership with landowners - said Ciarrocca - the project but was stranded at the office of civil engineering in Catania because there was a conflict of jurisdiction with the Department regional territory and the environment in relation to the change of use land use. "
The Office of Civil had not issued the necessary permits because the land was to be built where the residence was particularly drawn to hydrogeological, identified a "danger P2", ie "high probability of reactivation of the landslide phenomena dormant and inactive."
In order to facilitate the SAFAB in completing the Sigonella affair was calling upon the geology of Aci Castello, John Barbagallo, militant MPA (Movement for Autonomy Raffaele Lombardo) and, according to investigators, a man linked to the "representatives of Close-up of organized crime in Catania and, especially, Vincenzo Aiello, provincial regent of the Cosa Nostra ".
Via Barbagallo, administrators SAFAB came into contact with the management office civil engineering in Catania and some politicians, "which Mr. Angelo Lombardo or chairman Region Raffaele Lombardo. "
"Dr Barbagallo was employed to follow the practice in civil engineering, even remember who told me that the chief engineer, as writing MPA was particularly sensitive to the particulars of his political reference, "said Paolo Ciarrocchi. "Barbagallo said that it would be appropriate to make contact with a politician and as work was concerned, however, the Sicilian regional government, he suggested I get in touch with Angelo Lombardo since, he said, that talking with him was like talking with his brother Raphael, who was very busy but having been elected for a very short time and was essentially unreachable. "
Mr. Angelo Lombardo had just been appointed Secretary of the Presidency of the Chamber of Deputies and a member of the parliamentary committee on defense.
Barbagallo was the same in procuring the technical director of the construction company a first appointment with the parliament, soon after the 2008 elections.
"We went from the secretariat of Catania, but we could not talk too much confusion for Lombardo," said Ciarrocchi. "I remember Barbagallo walked alone in the room of Mr and right after I came out and said it would be better with more time to meet him in Rome. In fact some days later made an appointment with his office in Rome, and had the meeting. Lombardo explained to the terms of the question but did not get anything other than general insurance availability and the promise of talking to your brother and me to meet with the chief civil engineer of Catania, Ragusa engineer. Met Lombardo on another occasion, again at his office in Rome. I suggested that, at a meeting of the party to be held at the Marriot hotel in Rome some time later. In February 2009, I went to the conference, I spoke with the engineer to the presence of Ragusa Angelo Lombardo, but Ragusa told me that there would be no way to authorize the change in urban destination area because they were a flood risk area . I believe the risks described by chief civil engineer was non-existent and there is also another place in the village of Americans. "
First yet to encounter Lombardo, Paul Ciarrocca had tried to resolve issues related to land Belper with the then Regional Councillor for the area and environment, Rosanna Hinton, provincial secretary of MPA in Caltanissetta.
"The Hinton brought me his Chief of Cabinet, who confirmed to me that the power was in fact the civil engineer of Catania," said Ciarrocchi. Meanwhile, became more "frequent" contacts between the regional minister, the Salvatore Cavaleri (person close to his trust), the geologist and the leaders of SAFAB Barbagallo. On May 16, 2008 John Barbagallo informed by telephone the engineer Fabio Vargas, director of the yards of Roman society, to be able to make an appointment to Catania with Angelo Lombardo. "I also talked to my friend, Placido geologist, civil engineer, who is educating their own practice to develop the village in Belper, Barbagallo added. The practitioner takes care to keep constantly updated on all developments in the deal as well the "regent" of the local Cosa Nostra, Vincenzo Aiello. In particular, the weekend of 24 and 25 May, Barbagallo hosted at his home in the countryside Aiello to provide information about contacts with administrators of SAFAB. "I can speak both with Angelo (Lombardo) that the former Councillor Hinton, one of Niscemi," said Barbagallo.
"The Hinton sent me a big business in Rome, SAFAB is called, came to talk to the administrator, because they have to make a village for the Americans ... They came to me because they have difficulty with the civil engineering and the Land and Environment Department as commissioner el'Interlandi not been able to resolve it to him. The administrator said, however, the only one that you can solve this story ... a person who is close to Raphael, is John Barbagallo ... And he said: of you have told us very well, we seek a paternity policy ... . A paternity policy give it to me, there CONCERNED and I told him. So much so that I spoke with Angelo, I told him, "Angelo see those who have come, you are interested in the debate? "He said:" Yes ! ... .
On May 29, 2008 Barbagallo went personally by MPA member, obtaining an appointment for the directors to SAFAB on 2 June in the office Viale Africa policy in Catania.
meeting, as determined by judges, would then attended the geologist, the Hon. Lombardo, Paolo Ciarrocchi and "perhaps other people." The relationship between factotum and the leaders of Roman society would then be continued on subsequent days. On June 23, Barbagallo was meeting with the engineer in Vargas AGIP which stands near the base of Sigonella, then go to visit the land intended to accommodate the residence for the military. Eleven days later, in a telephone conversation with the geologist, Paul Ciarrocca reiterated once again that "the interest SAFAB was the primary solutions to problems arising with the civil engineer "and that" he had an appointment in Rome with Angelo Lombardo. " During the call, Barbagallo advised to remind the Honourable Member to a first call to the engineer chief civil engineer, so then he going to speak with officials from office "would have found the road a little plain ".
In reality, the process for the approval of the project is stalled partly as a result of the serious legal mess that would soon hit by the construction company and its two directors, owners, brothers Louis and Ferdinand Masciotta. Following an inspection of the Prefecture de L'Aquila, 14 November 2009, the shipyard site on the plateau of the Rocche, SAFAB the certificate was withdrawn at the mafia. In Palermo, however, the company was under investigation over an alleged bribes to an official of the fire to the car for a test of the Court. In August 2009 the engineer Fabio Vargas, Paolo Ciarrocca Masciotta and two brothers were joined by an order of custody for the crime of corruption against two officials of the civil engineer of Caltanissetta, which received a bribe of 110 thousand € to overestimate the amount of remediation that the Consortium would be due to the Gela SAFAB following a dispute out of court for the work to the dam of Disueri. The GIP as justification for precautionary needs, Masciotta stressed that "even tried to apply for accreditation with key members of the Movement for Autonomy (MPA) and in particular with the President of Sicily Region, Raffaele Lombardo."
For investigators were particularly alarming, however, the "nature of relations maintained by synallagmatic SAFAB with the Mafia organization," by Angelo Enzo Aiello Santapaola first and then " who cared "on one side of the put right, not only in Catania but perhaps also at Palermo and, secondly, through working towards the same could win important business, and then subcontract the work to various organic entrepreneurs or at least close to the same association.
In an interview in May 1998, also former Minister of Public Works of the Cosa Nostra, Angelo Siino, admitted to having personally supervised the "put right" of SAFAB "on behalf of the famous mobster Cataldo Farinella, a businessman in Gangtok.
Investigators have also found that the company had maintained contacts with the Roman criminal gangs "responsible" for the territory, through the constructor Gela Sandro Missio. Since 2000, the Miss firms were involved in almost all the work carried out in Sicily by the Romans. Sandro letter he was also awarded the subcontract for the construction of the incinerator Bellolampo and excavation work in the nearby landfill where SAFAB illegally disposed of asbestos waste. In this regard, the collaborator with justice Gaspare Pulizzi, interrogation made February 15, 2008, reported that for Bellolampo work, the contractor of Gela had "put right" with the mafia family of Little "by Angelo Santapaola.
Missio In July 2009 Sandy was arrested on the Warrant of Caltanissetta for having "been part of the association mafia operating in Gela and directed by Emmanuel Daniel, died Dec. 3, 2007 following a shootout with the police. "
Particularly relevant to the investigations was the discovery of Emmanuel in the esophagus during the autopsy, a Pezzino that the same had swallowed while trying to escape the police, which referred to "Sandro" Sandro Missio identified precisely, and to work for a supply of water connected to the network Dam Desueri (license plate SAFAB other work).
During the investigation, however, showed that the Roman society, prior to "rely" on Sandro Missio, supervised the "put right" of the work in Sicily through its administrator, engineer Louis Masciotta that - as recounted in a letter to his father talk environment of 2004 - "went alone to talk to the boss of Catania, which was carrying large sums of money."
In a note from the DIA of Caltanissetta, called in ' order against Missio, appeared with a particular even more disturbing. Following the murder of Judge Paolo Borsellino and his escort of staff, it was found that "SAFAB had rented, about ten days before the massacre, an apartment right in the same building where he lived the mother of the magistrate in via D'Amelio , which was later detonated a powerful car bomb in 1992. " And not only. A few days before dell'eccidio, write the investigators, "in that apartment were activated two phone lines, perhaps, were useful to terrorists."
