AN EX-CONVICT ACCUSED of links to the Apulian mafia has decided to speak out on what is considered ‘the biggest mafia trial in decades’.
Giuseppe Rossi*, a 39-year-old country worker, from Mesagne, Brindisi had been jailed for more years than he wishes to admit. His first criminal charges were considerably minor in comparison to later charges.
When talking about the city he said: ‘’Back to when I was a teenager, the historic centre of the city was not as popular and full of people as it is now. It was like living in a different city, no one knew what was going on inside it. People were not able to find a decent job and needed money, that’s the usual combination of when all the terrible decisions in life are made.’’
He exclaimed that when the police decide they want you in jail they try to conjure up proof to charge you with and then, even without objective evidence, they sentence you. He also mentioned that once you get out you can be sure you are going to be returning at some point.
He said: ‘’It is like a chain: every single piece is going to be tied up in order to lead to the big charge. They start charging you as a mafia associate, until you become the head of the operations. You may be innocent, but they have already decided you are guilty and no one can help you to escape your destiny. That’s what happened to me at some point a lot of years ago.’’
Then he added: ‘’What the BBC said about the recent ‘Ndrangheta trial, being the biggest one happening over decades, could not be completely true. This association is located all around the world, not just Italy as they say, this is why they took so long to find all 355 suspects. Politicians are acting this way to let people know they are doing something about this issue, but in reality they are distracting people from the main problems here in Italy.’’
In the end, almost a third of those under investigation are going to be acquitted because of lack of evidence. He concluded saying that people can visibly change, like he did, but it must be the person to realize it is time to move on.
*names have been changed