Palermo, 7 arrests: the written code of the mafia and the unsuspected
PALERMO – The new mafia has the face of old acquaintances and reserved men, hitherto unknown in the judicial news. All are inspired by the rules of the past. There is an ancient written code, which must be respected. A new investigation confirms its existence, which has already emerged in other investigations . It turns out the bosses wanted to kill an architect.
Badagliacca, a well-known surname Seven arrests for mafia in Palermo and a surname, that of Badagliacca, which has its roots in the past when the bosses who were in charge were Bernardo Provenzano and Matteo Messina Denaro. Pietro, Gioacchino and Angelo Badagliacca, aged 78, 45 and 51, end up in prison; Marco Zappulla of 34, and Pasquale Saitta, 67 years old. House arrest for Michele Saitta, 70, and Antonino Anello, 82.
The family of Rocca Mezzomonreale
The investigation focuses on the mafia family of Rocca Mezzomonreale, which is part of the mandamento of Pagliarelli. There are familiar faces who have already been convicted and some "reserved men of honour", whose identity has been protected by a web of silence.
The Badagliaccas are part of the criminal history of Palermo. Suffice it to say that some family members participated in the organization of Bernardo Provenzano's trip to France to take care of himself while on the run. Others took part in a summit in which Messina Denaro would have been present.
The summit with Messina Denaro
Among those arrested are Pietro and Angelo Badagliacca, father and son. Pietro of the mafia family had been the boss. He had a special bond with Nino Rotolo, Pagliarelli's foreman and lifer. On September 3, 2005 Angelo Badagliacca was intercepted while he was saying to Rotolo: "In the meantime, I'll take the pizzini, many greetings from dad ... he says that he has already spoken to the one from Trapani". Rotolo's words left no room for doubt: "But to speak directly with Matteo?".
The written code of the mafia
In an interception, which the investigating judge defines as "extremely rare in judicial experience", reference is made to the existence of a "written mafia code", jealously guarded for decades and which still regulates the life of the Cosa Nostra in Palermo today.
The architect had to die
The investigation and arrest prevented an architect from being killed. During the summit his death sentence was decided. The Cosa Nostra court held him responsible for a series of errors in the amnesty practices that he was following and reproached him for having disrespected a detained boss.
Among the old and eternal rules is that of protection money, paid in cash or by imposing the companies desired by the bosses. To get a man to pay, they placed a doll on the gate of his house with a bullet in its forehead.
