Pietro Aglieri

Pietro Aglieri (born June 6, 1959 in Palermo ) is a Sicilian mafioso from the Guadagna district in Palermo. Aglieri, who embodies a modern type of mafia, is nicknamed "'u Signurinu - the little gentleman" because he was well educated and known for his manners. Aglieri studied Greek , Latin , philosophy , history and literature at a high level that would have guaranteed him access to the university. Instead, he opted for a career in the Cosa Nostra . The Guardian magazine named him Aspiring Man of the Year in Italy in 1995 .

personality

After his arrest, Aglieri's hiding place was discovered in a small chapel, which testifies to his strong connection to the Catholic Church. A priest, Mario Frittitta, admitted in 1997 that he met Aglieri and celebrated masses there for him and his men at Christmas 1996 and Easter 1997. Father Frittitta testified in court that he tried to persuade Aglieri to surrender, but not to testify against others. After his arrest, Aglieri announced that he wanted to study theology , but a leading Sicilian bishop refused. Nevertheless, Aglieri began to study church history in Rebibbia prison at the University of La Sapienza in Rome and successfully completed this degree. Within the Sicilian Mafia, he was known for his inclination towards the Greek and Latin classics. In an interview with La Repubblica in March 2004, he said that he preferred the strict detention of 41-bis over a member of the judiciary. Judge Alfonso Sabella recalled that the Capomafia Aglieri had given him a lecture on the power of the Mafia when the arrest and the prospect of cooperating with the authorities: “Look, inspector, when you come to our schools to see about legality talk about justice, respect for the law, civil coexistence, our youth will listen and follow you, but when these youngsters come of age and look for work, a house, economic and health support, where can they find it? With you or with us? Inspector, you can find them with us. And only with us. They are Sicilians and they know very well that it is so. Why should I cooperate? Just so you can arrest another dozen family men or find some rusty pistols. What would change if I told you what you want to know about me? "

Life

Aglieri was a loyal vassal of the Corleonesi of Totò Riina and Bernardo Provenzano during the Second Mafia War . He won Riina's favor by weeding out the relationship of the Bontade-Inzerillo-Badalamenti axis. Aglieri became the head of the Santa Maria di Gesù mafia clan after Giovanni Bontade, Stefano Bontade's brother , was killed in 1988. Although Aglieri had been a criminal since the early 1980s, his name did not become known to the prosecutor until 1989. As a member of the Cupola , Aglieri was charged in absentia for the bomb attack on the two well-known Mafia investigators, Giovanni Falcone († 23 May 1992) and Paolo Borsellino († 19 July 1992), and sentenced to life imprisonment. He received the same penalty for the murder of Judge Antonino Scopelliti on August 9, 1991 before the Court of Cassation (Corte di Cassazione). Aglieri has also been tried for the murder of Salvo Lima , a Sicilian politician with close ties to former Prime Minister Giulio Andreotti . After Riina was arrested in January 1993, Aglieri began supporting Provenzano's new and less violent Mafia strategy. The new guidelines included patience, subdivision, coexistence with government institutions, and systematic infiltration of public finances. The diplomatic Provenzano thus attempted to stem the flow of the Pentiti by no longer aiming to eliminate rival families, but only using force when absolutely necessary. On June 6, 1997, Aglieri was arrested along with his Caporegime Natale Gambino and Giuseppe La Mattina in a disused lemon warehouse in the run-down industrial area of Bagheria . After the arrest of his right-hand man, Carlo Greco, it took the authorities almost a year to track him down. Apparently Giovanni Brusca , a Riina vassal arrested in May 1996, helped police identify Aglieri. Aglieri had been on the run since 1989.

On March 28, 2002, Pietro Aglieri wrote a letter to the National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor (PNA - Procura Nazionale Antimafia), Pierluigi Vigna, and the General Prosecutor of Palermo, Pietro Grasso, to negotiate. Aglieri's suggestion was that mafiosi would receive lighter sentences (in particular the repeal of the dreaded prison regime Article 41-bis , which is considered to be the “toughest prison regime in Italy” ) in exchange for recognizing the existence of Cosa Nostra and the authority of the Italian state.

Aglieri was approached by Vigna in February 2000 to get Mafiosi to "distance themselves" from the Cosa Nostra without becoming collaborators with the judiciary - a method that has already been used successfully in the fight against the Red Brigades . Ex-members of the Red Brigades could publicly acknowledge their misconduct without having to admit their own criminal responsibility. Aglieri proposed that the Sicilian Mafia Commission meet in any prison in Italy to convince Totò Riina to agree to the surrender of the Mafia and to “disarm” the organization . Other Capimafia like Giuseppe “Piddu” Madonia , Nitto Santapaola , Pippo Calò and Giuseppe Farinella apparently agreed. Vigna's covert attempts were controversial and were published by a "mole" in the PNA. They were definitely frustrated when the center-left government of Massimo D'Alema resigned on April 25, 2000. Justice Minister Oliviero Diliberto was replaced by Piero Fassino, who immediately stopped the negotiations. Aglieri's letter in March 2002 was followed by a statement by Leoluca Bagarella during a court appearance in July 2002, in which he criticized the fact that countless politicians had failed to reach agreements with the Mafia on the conditions of detention. This created a rift within the Cosa Nostra. Aglieri's proposal for separation (Atto V - "Dissoziazione") was not accepted. Most investigative judges rejected the proposal to leave the Cosa Nostra intact and restore the hidden relationship between the mafia shadow state and mafia-friendly authorities.

swell

Individual evidence

1. ↑ God the Father behind bars. The time. April 20, 2006
2. ↑ 'Pietro Aglieri Il Boss, VIP del' 96 'La Classifica di un Giornale. La Repubblica. (it.)
3. ↑ Breathlessly and thoughtlessly past the topic. An overdramatized documentary about the relationship between the Catholic Church and organized crime speculates on sensationalism, but has next to nothing new to offer. Frankfurter Rundschau. 2nd June 2015
4. ↑ Petra Reski: Mafia: Of godparents, pizzerias and false priests. Droemer eBook, 2014. ISBN 978-342-6-42661-6 .
5. ↑ He prayed to the patron saint of the police. The world. June 9, 1997
6. ↑ June 6th - Pietro Aglieri arrested in Palermo. NWZ Online. June 6, 2012
7. ^ I boss in carcere trattano la resa "Pronti a sciogliere Cosa Nostra". La Repubblica. April 17, 2002 (it.)
8. ^ Alfonso Sabella, un giudice stritolato dalla Trattativa. November 12, 2009

literature

• John Dickie: Cosa Nostra. A story of the Sicilian Mafia . London. 2004. Coronet. ISBN 0-340-82435-2 .
• Petra Reski: Mafia: From godparents, pizzerias and false priests. Droemer eBook, 2014. ISBN 978-342-6-42661-6 .

Web links

• Newspaper article about Pietro Aglieri in the Giornale di Sicilia (it.)