Italian premier denies Mafia deal

A convicted Mafia hitman claimed yesterday Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi made a deal with the mob in the 1990s in exchange for political support.

Mr Berlusconi denied the allegations, which have set off the latest storm to rattle the scandal-plagued president.

Gaspare Spatuzza gave evidence as a prosecution witness in the appeals trial of Senator Marcello Dell’Utri, a close political associate of Mr Berlusconi who was convicted in 2004 of ties with the Sicilian Mafia and sentenced to nine years in prison.

Spatuzza, serving a life sentence for several murders, told the court that in 1993 he was told by his boss, Giuseppe Graviano, that the mob had made a deal with Mr Berlusconi that would provide “benefits” to the Mafia in exchange for support in elections. The media mogul entered politics a few months later and won his first term as prime minister in the 1994 elections.

Mr Berlusconi and Mr Dell’Utri have both branded the allegations ridiculous.

Spatuzza was one of the mobsters who took part in a 1993 terror campaign ordered by Graviano, a top Mafia boss in Palermo, which included deadly bombings in Rome, Milan and Florence.

Graviano was arrested in 1994 and convicted of the attacks. Spatuzza was arrested in 1997.

Mr Berlusconi has dismissed Spatuzza’s claims as “unbelievable”.