Slovak police have arrested
Italian entrepreneur Antonino Vadalà together with his brother
and cousin in connection with the murder of an investigative
reporter and his fiancée, local daily Korzar reported on
Thursday.
According to local media reports, Vadalà on Thursday morning
was arrested with his brother Bruno and cousin Pietro Catroppa
as part of police operations targeting two of the entrepreneur's
apartments in Michalovce and Trebisov in eastern Slovakia.
The murdered journalist, Jan Kuciak, 27, had reported for the
news site Aktuality.sk on fraud cases, often involving
businessmen and politicians.
Kuciak had in particular investigated the Vadalà family and
its alleged ties with the international crime syndicate of
Calabrian origin, 'Ndrangheta. The newspaper he worked for
published the report on Wednesday.
Kuciak and his fiancée were found dead on Sunday at his home
in Velka Maca, 65km east of the capital Bratislava.
Italian police alerted Slovak police and international bodies
"some time ago" on the the group of Calabrians arrested in the
eastern European country on Thursday, judicial sources said on
Thursday.
Anti-mafia prosecutors in Reggio Calabria "officially brought
to the attention of the international police organs and the
Slovakian national police the need to monitor the activities of
the group of Calabrians arrested because they are suspected of
being involved in the murder of the young journalist Jan Kuciak
and his girlfriend," a statement said.
Acting Reggio Calabria Chief Prosecutor Gaetano Paci told
ANSA his office had also supplied information about the trio's
alleged links to the Calabria-based crime organisation
'Ndrangheta.
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