Italian Police Seize 27 Million Euros From Criminals

The former leader of Rome’s criminal underworld Massimo Carminati and his most essential henchmen are about 27 million euros poorer.

The police have permanently seized valuable property of the criminals following a ruling by the Italian Supreme Court.

The police confiscated cars, real estate and precious works of art, among other things. Carminati, a former far-right terrorist, lost about 10 million euros. He lost his villa outside of Rome and works of art.

62-year-old Carminati, also known as the ‘one-eyed one’, was arrested in 2014 along with several accomplices. In 2017 he was sentenced to 20 years in prison in a sensational corruption trial against the so-called ‘Mafia Capitale’ (capital mafia). The ‘Mafia Capitale’ is said to have won lucrative contracts for his companies with bribes.

Last year, certain charges against him and his colleagues were dropped. The sentence was later reduced and subsequently quashed. In June, Carminati was released pending a new sentence. Still, he is expected to return to prison once the retrial is completed.

The Mafia Capitale scandal caused a stir in Italian politics as it led to the arrests of dozens of politicians, entrepreneurs and civil servants.