Godfather of Sicilian Mafia dies behind bars

ROME: Salvatore “Toto” Riina, the Sicilian Mafia’s most powerful boss of the 20th century who was convicted for ordering dozens of murders, died of natural causes early yesterday after almost a quarter of a century in jail.

Riina, who turned 87 on Thursday, died in the prison ward of a hospital in Parma, the northern Italian city where he had been serving 26 life sentences for homicides committed between 1969 and 1992. His victims included two magistrates who led the campaign to bring Mafia figures to justice.

He had fallen into a coma after surgery a few days ago, and his family was allowed to be by his side on Thursday.

Nicknamed “the Beast”, Riina began his violent criminal career on the streets of Corleone after World War II and became the Sicilian Mafia’s boss of bosses when it reached its 20th century apex.

Riina oversaw a flourishing economic period for organised crime group Cosa Nostra, or “Our Thing”, when it was trafficking heroin to North America and pulling the levers of political power in Palermo and Rome. But due to Riina’s sav- agery, hundreds of mobsters broke their code of silence in the 1980s and 1990s and testified against him.

Riina’s January 1993 arrest, after more than 20 years as a fugitive, came just months after magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino were blown up on his orders, and coincided with the downfall of Italy’s corrupt political system.

Since then, Riina has been held under high security. He is survived by daughters, Maria Concetta and Lucia, and wife Antonietta. His funeral is likely to be a private ceremony in Corleone. – Reuters

PICTURE: AP Mob boss Salvatore ‘Toto’ Riina was known for his savagery.