Gratteri: “There is a generational change underway in the Naples Camorra”

The Camorra has changed: “In Naples we are seeing a generational change in organized crime, the age of minors who commit crimes is decreasing and the age of individuals at the top of Camorra organizations is decreasing”.

This was stated by the Chief Prosecutor of the Republic, Nicola Gratteri, who spoke today at the session of the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the phenomenon of the mafia and other criminal associations.

“If the lowering of the age of those who commit Camorra crimes is a constant – he added – it is to be thought that investigations can always be carried out by the District Anti-Mafia Prosecutor's Office rather than by the Juvenile Prosecutor's Office, which does not even have a room for the interception. If there are 4-5 minors in an investigation, what is the point of separating the position of the latter?

If statistically more and more minors are involved, it would be best for economy and synergy to have the entire investigation be carried out by the District Anti-Mafia Prosecutor's Office". "Ask the prison administration department - added the prosecutor - why all the mafia bosses are in Secondigliano having their cell phones lowered with drones and not at least 100 kilometers from Naples".

Criticism of the ban on publication of the ordinance: "It is a democratic regression"

“I do not agree with the reform Nordius, it is a democratic involution, I think that citizens have the right to know what is happening on their territory", he continues Gratteri. And then he adds: "Now journalists who report on news are no longer able to do this job. For me it is more reassuring to publish parts of ordinances than making a summary with the risk of making mistakes or writing inaccurate things”.

More cameras in Naples to solve murders

"In Naples there is much to do, there are big problems that I want to solve. I asked for more men and I was told that the rate of discovery is 10% for all of Italy. But in Naples there is the third world war".

“In Naples we have managed to reduce the pending cases by 4 thousand units, more than 4 thousand files have been defined, more than 1.800 precautionary custody orders, at this moment 1.400 requests for precautionary custody are pending, 1.085 only for mafia investigations. There have also been 684 more wiretaps than the previous year, but don't tell Minister Nordio”, the magistrate underlined.

“It's true, there are murders even during the day in Naples, but thanks to a system of cameras that is still not sufficient, over half of these murders have been solved,” added Gratteri.

And then he underlined: “We need money to install as many cameras as possible, because the cameras solve most of our problems because we don’t have the men to control the whole territory”.

Gratteri's alarm, 'in Naples 7 magistrates are gone, 3 are coming'

The main problem, according to Gratteri, concerns the shortage of staff: "7 magistrates will leave. I have a project, I'm writing to csm and I explain that I need more human resources. After a long mediation they let me know that they will send me 3 replacements: if 7 leave they send me 3".

“I spoke personally with some members of the CSM met by chance, I asked to be heard in the commission. I was told that we have a 10% shortage in all of Italy. But what kind of reasoning is this? Naples cannot be treated like Macerata, Larino, Vasto. In Naples there is the third world war.

What are we talking about? I am talking to Mayor Manfredi and Governor De Luca to get more cameras. The CSM had decided not to send other magistrates to Naples, now maybe three will arrive compared to the seven who will leave. So we will not be able to provide the same data that I gave today”.

“The State makes money with wiretaps, if there are abuses they must be punished”

"With wiretaps, the State makes money. With two months of wiretaps, I have seized 35 million bitcoins that are in the sole fund of justice. If I am conducting an investigation on drugs and a public administrator enters a place to buy drugs and in that context confesses to his supplier a crime of corruption, I cannot use that wiretap.

But - he added - if in that place, half an hour later, a guy comes in who buys drugs to resell them, and confesses to stealing a bottle of liquor from the nearby supermarket, I can use that wiretap. But does that seem normal to you?".

And on the subject of wiretap abuse highlighted by Maurizio Gasparri, Gratteri replied: “When you discover that a magistrate is committing abuses, why don’t you open a disciplinary proceeding, why don’t you use the inspection power? Abuses are punished.” Gratteri then underlined that “the prosecutors cannot transcribe wiretaps that concern the private lives of those under investigation: if we transcribed wiretaps of the private lives of those under investigation, we would have thousands of divorces in Italy. We can only transcribe wiretaps that concern the body of the accusation.”

The dark web is the new frontier of the mafia: specialists are needed

“The dark web is a very delicate subject that has exploded in the space of two years”. There is “a need for more specialized personnel and there is also a need for computer engineers”. According to Gratteri “the new frontier of the mafias will be found in the dark web”.

On CSM, a dry draw also for lay members

Regarding the Higher Council of the Judiciary (CSM), "the Cartabia reform has only increased spending by 10 more members. But on a substantial level I do not see the weakening of the currents: only spending has increased".

For Gratteri "the reform of the CSM is the mother of all reforms. You are wasting time and you are making a lot of reforms that serve no purpose and slow down the work of the prosecutors and the courts. The reform of the CSM means making a dry draw". Which must be done "even for the lay members".

“Concrete things done by the Government in Caivano”

“Caivano was not an advert. I also thought so at the beginning. Instead, concrete things have been done in Caivano. The swimming pool has been renovated and is managed by the State Police. There was no social worker in the municipality and now there are 7-8”, the magistrate added. However, the capital of Naples – Gratteri always explained – has a province that is “less controlled than Naples, more men and resources would be needed”. It would be necessary to “raise awareness to buy more cameras, the cheapest means of security and for finding evidence”.