A centre-right candidate in Sunday's
Sicilian regional elections was arrested for Mafia vote buying
Friday.
The man, Salvatore Ferrigno, 62, was charged with paying mafiosi
to secure votes for himself.
Ferrigno, a former member of Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia
(FI) party, is now on the Autonomist Popular ticket of former
Berlusconi aide and Senate Speaker Renato Schifani, who is
running to become Sicily governor.
Also arrested were Cosa Nostra boss Giuseppe Lo Duca and an
alleged intermediary, Piera Lo Iacono.
Prosecutors say Ferrigno promised Lo Duca favours and cash in
exchange for votes.
This has been confirmed, they said, by phone taps dating from
the recent past until a few days ago.
The case is part of a wider probe into Palermo Mafia clans.
Two other centre-right candidates, Francesco Lombardo and Pietro
Polizzi, were arrested for Mafia vote buying ahead of April's
elections to Palermo city council.
They too were charged with promising to back the clan in
question in exchange for votes.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
