Ndrangheta trial in Bellinzona: accused denies being mafiosi but admits harbouring clan leader
Before the Federal Criminal Court, a 59-year-old man acknowledges having sheltered the alleged Calabrian clan chief in Aargau, whilst denying any membership of the mafia.
Bellinzona: accused denies belonging to Ndrangheta but admits links with alleged leader
On the second day of his trial before the Federal Criminal Court (FCC) in Bellinzona, the man suspected of having served as a financial and logistical relay for the Ndrangheta in Switzerland categorically rejected any membership of the Calabrian criminal organisation. According to Le Temps, which is following the hearings, he nevertheless acknowledged personally knowing the alleged chief of the mafia clan targeted by the indictment.
"I am not a mafioso," the 59-year-old defendant, a resident of the canton of Aargau, stated on Tuesday afternoon during the continuation of his questioning. Unlike the first day of the hearing, when he had refused to answer questions, he this time agreed to speak, at least partially.
Acknowledged links, but minimised
The accused confirmed having attended the same school in Calabria as the individual designated by the Federal Public Prosecutor (FPP) as the leader of a Ndrangheta clan. The two men were classmates. He also admitted having sheltered this man at his home in Aargau, whilst insisting that he was not interested in the latter's life and had no connection with his activities.
Secret recordings and contradictory responses
The judge confronted the defendant with extracts from the indictment transcribing recordings made without his knowledge. She notably read a passage in which the accused evoked "dirty pentiti" — a term designating mafia pentiti who cooperate with justice.
The accused first claimed not to remember this conversation. Pressed to explain himself on several occasions, he eventually exclaimed "But they are lying!", before immediately correcting himself to clarify that he himself shared the opinion of the pentiti — provided that they were telling the truth.
The question of trips suspended since 2020
The judge also noted that the accused had made no trips abroad since 2020, neither to Germany to visit his brother, nor to Italy. She wanted to know whether this interruption was motivated by fear of arrest by Italian justice. The accused responded laconically that he knew "nothing about Italy".
Faced with his evasive responses — the man frequently mumbles, often speaks away from the microphone and expresses himself in a pronounced dialect — the judge pressed on. After an inaudible remark to those present, the magistrate declared: "I knew very well that you were afraid of arrest."
Acknowledged threats, justified by provocation
The accused moreover admitted to having made certain threats, including one in which he stated that a third party should respect him, otherwise he would kill him "like a pig". He justified these remarks by explaining that his interlocutor had addressed him with far more serious insults, notably concerning his mother, who has since died. He concluded by asserting that he had never killed anyone, describing his outbursts as reactions of anger under the effect of stress.
Drug and arms trafficking and money transfers
The FPP accuses the defendant of having acted as an intermediary in illegal drug and arms trafficking. These activities are said to have generated a minimum of 1.3 million francs, which the person in question is alleged to have transferred to Italy by plane and by car, according to the indictment. The trial before the FCC is to continue for another seven days.
Source: Le Temps