THE Carabinieri from the Bari Santo Spirito station carried out a precautionary custody order against four people, issued by the investigating judge of Bari at the request of the District Anti-Mafia Directorate of Bari, in which serious indications of guilt are recognized against as many suspects, believed responsible for the crimes of “continuing aggravated extortion” and “aggravated arson”, both with the aggravating circumstance of the mafia method, as well as “illegal occupation of state property”.
According to the accusatory approach, accepted by the investigating judge and without prejudice to any necessary evaluation in the subsequent stages of the proceedings with the contribution of the defence, the investigations have shed light on the climate of subjugation to which the owners of the boats moored in the “Santo Spirito” port of Bari were subjected, as reported in an anonymous complaint received at the offices of the aforementioned Carabinieri Station from which the investigation began.
Subsequent investigations, conducted through the analysis of video surveillance systems, numerous observation services and the use of telephone interceptions, made it possible to ascertain the proven extortion system implemented by a fifty-two-year-old, censored and burdened by a criminal record for crimes of association, considered close to the Diomede-Merchant clan who, for some time and with the help of two other suspects, all recipients of precautionary measures in prison, had been carrying out a illegal security guard in the port, inducing boaters to pay sums of money for the “protection” of the moored vessel, under penalty of risk of damage. The requests, on a monthly basis, were defined by a price list based on the size of the vessel, from a minimum of 10 euros for “gozzetti” to 100 euros for fishing boats, all in a climate of silence and of subjecting the victims, aware, in case of refusal, of the risk of theft of the instruments installed on board or of damage to the vessels themselves, as reconstructed in the investigative activity.
In particular, the role of supremacy acquired in the port by the fifty-two-year-old who had illegally occupied the state-owned area in front of the port was highlighted, delimiting it with a chain, so as to prevent its public use in order to use it as a parking lot for private cars, receiving often the prior telephone request from some users. The same suspect had then attempted to become a custodian at a nautical club in the port, threatening the legitimate custodian with death in order to induce him to give up his security service, but without success.
In addition to the role of the three main suspects, the involvement of the fifty-two-year-old’s wife emerged, recipient of a precautionary measure under house arrest, aware of the illicit origin of the money collected by her husband at the port and instructed by him to record the monthly payments received from the victims. For the facts described, three people were confined in prison and one under house arrest.
“It is important to underline that the proceeding is still in the preliminary investigation phase and that, following the execution of today’s precautionary measures, the guarantee interrogation and the discussion with the defense of the suspects will follow, whose possible guilt in relation to the contested crimes it will have to be ascertained during the trial in compliance with the cross-examination with the defense of the suspects”, recall the CC in a press note.
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Tags: Protection mafia Santo Spirito port Bari arrests police Money exchange protection
