Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini takes a selfie during a visit to an estate that was confiscated from the mafia. Photo: EPA-EFE
Source:
https://scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/2153654/italian-official-shows-anti-mafia-stance-swim-pool-seized-villa Europe
Italian official shows off anti-mafia stance with swim in pool at seized villa
The interior minister swam a lap at a Tuscan villa confiscated from a mobster and turned into a resort
Italian Interior Minister Matteo Salvini swims a lap during the visit to a farm confiscated from a mafia figure in Suvignano, outside Siena, on Tuesday. Photo: EPA-EFE
Italy’s interior minister has demonstrated his anti-mafia priorities by diving into a swimming pool at a Tuscan villa that was confiscated from a mobster.
Matteo Salvini then swam a lap in the pool as journalists watched on Tuesday.
The villa was seized from a mafia boss in 2007 after 24 years of legal procedures and turned into a resort.
Anti-mafia prosecutors have long advocated fighting organised crime by depriving mobsters of ill-gotten property, including houses, hotels, farms and restaurants.
Salvini’s League party boasts a get-tough-on-crime stance, but issues regarding organised crime were largely absent from his election campaign this year.
Salvini visits donkeys at the farm confiscated from a mobster that has been turned into a resort. Photo: ANSA via AP
Referring to stripping mobsters of illicitly acquired wealth, Salvini said, “We must leave these gentlemen in their underwear.”
He advocated streamlining confiscation procedures so properties can be quickly converted for other uses.