Italian finance police on Wednesday arrested seven business people for alleged mafia dealings in post-earthquake reconstruction efforts on private residences in L'Aquila. The business people allegedly helped the Casalesi clan of the Neapolitan Camorra mafia infiltrate rebuilding following the devastating 2009 earthquake in the central region of Abruzzo that killed 309 people, destroyed much of regional capital and left tens of thousands homeless. Four of the suspects were being taken in jail and three put under house arrest.
The detainees are accused of extortion aggravated by mafia methods, illicit intermediation and exploitation.
Finance police are also conducting dozens of seizures related to the suspects in L'Aquila, Caserta and Rome. The arrests follow five arrests last week in a corruption probe related to the restoration of two important churches wrecked by the earthquake.
Former deputy commissioner for reconstruction, Luciano Marchetti, an official of the culture ministry, and his colleague Alessandra Mancinelli, were arrested together with three businessmen on suspicion of corruption, perjury, bid-rigging, fraudulently influencing public officials and issuing and using non-existent invoices.
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