Italy suspends helicopter pilot in mafia funeral row

ITALY’S civil aviation authority yesterday suspended the licence of the helicopter pilot who flew low over Rome to drop flower petals during the over-the-top funeral of a purported local crime boss – the first head to roll in a scandal that has outraged city residents.

In addition to the petals, the funeral on Thursday of Vittorio Casamonica featured a gilded, horse-drawn carriage carrying his casket and a band playing “The Godfather” theme.

The level of ostentation prompted Italy’s interior minister to demand an explanation from city officials - especially after reports that police and Carabinieri patrols accompanied the funeral procession.

A chastened Rome prefect Franco Gabrielli said yesterday that such a scene “should never have taken place.” In an interview with the Catholic publication Famiglia Cristiana, he blamed a breakdown in communications caused partly by August holiday absences.

The civil aviation authority ENAC said it was suspending the licence of the pilot as a precaution, given that single-engine helicopters are prohibited from flying over the capital. ENAC said the helicopter flew below the 1,000-foot limit and violated regulations by tossing out objects without authorisation.

The funeral is the latest scandal to rock Rome following a summer of revelations of mafialinked corruption among politicians and a breakdown in public transport and other services.

“It seemed like being inside a movie set. Ostentatious luxury, horses decorated in black, a carriage with golden decoration that probably not even Queen Elizabeth could afford,” resident Walter Grubissa said yesterday.