The mafia trial of the century is going largely unnoticed
on 'Zoom' in southern Italy
 

The Silent Trial of the Century
In southern Italy, a historical event is going unnoticed. That’s partly by design.

With 400 counts against 335 defendants, it's one of the largest criminal prosecutions in recent history. And there is shockingly little news coverage (partly by design)

In Lamezia Terme, an industrial city in Southern Italy overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea, the first so-called “maxi trial” of the ’Ndrangheta, the Calabrian criminal organization, began on Jan. 13.

Expected to last at least two years, the trial is known as “Rinascita-Scott,” or “Rebirth Scott.” Nicola Gratteri, the prosecutor driving the case, explained that its name refers to a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent who spent eight years in Italy fighting against narco-’ndranghetist organizations and died upon returning to the United States in a car accident. The trial is dedicated to his commitment. It’s been called the trial of the century in some Italian newspapers, but curiously, no television news stations are reporting on it, it never ends up on the newspapers’ front pages, and it’s not even creating political controversy.

This despite its huge scale and dramatic scenes: Everything takes place in a bunker built just for the occasion, at a cost of 4.7 million euros. It was an abandoned call center transformed over five months into a record-breaking courtroom that belies the fame of Calabria, which is known as the region of unfinished work. It is a structure of 35,500 square feet, where 947 people can sit at a safe distance, in compliance with COVID regulations. It is a maxi trial via Zoom, because many defendants follow the hearing from their prisons, dressed in overalls, carefully taking note of names and villages—all, strictly, with masks.

This giant event is observed in silence in Italy. The reasons are many. For one, the fight against organized crime has long ceased to be a priority of the Italian government. In recent months, COVID has consumed all interest and public debate. And there is also a certain amount of inurement among the Italian people to news about the mafia. This is partly by design: After the attack season of the ’90s, with the killing of Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino the two Sicilian magistrates on the front line in the fight against the Cosa nostra Sicilian mafia, these criminal organizations have believed that it is better to avoid sensational actions that bring the focus on them, and it is usually better to work under the radar. Crime in Italy has also changed its face: Previously mainly in the southern regions, it has spread throughout Italian territory, concentrating in the richest part of the country, in the north. There, it has abandoned the somewhat folkloric characteristics of its origins and has camouflaged itself in the wealthy modern northern entrepreneurship and in politics. It has used the proceeds of drug trafficking to invest in legal activities, from finance to catering to construction. During COVID, its involvement in the funeral business made headlines.

In the public perception, the ’Ndrangheta has historically been considered the least relevant and powerful criminal organization. But in reality, especially in the last 10 years, it has become the dominant one, not only in northern Italy but also in many European countries, including Germany. slate.com