Saviano says Brexit wd worsen UK

(ANSA) - London, June 23 - Anti-mafia author Roberto Saviano on Thursday urged Britain to stay in the EU saying that only by complying with EU rules will it have a hope of ending its status as the pre-eminent haven for dirty money.
    'Gomorra' author Saviano said "If I were to ask which country was the most corrupt in the world, you might say Afghanistan, Nigeria or Russia - maybe Mexico. I would say, the United Kingdom." "In 2013 a study by the Italian transnational crime research centre Transcrime revealed that Italian mafias have taken over numerous UK businesses: the Sicilian Cosa Nostra has invested in gambling; the Naples Camorra in public building contracts, restaurants, and property development in Scotland; the Calabrian 'Ndrangheta in London property. "A number of studies have shown that the City of London is the world capital for laundering the profits of drug trafficking. The Russian mafia has contributed to the London housing bubble and inflated prices by investing in property," Saviano said.
    He concluded: "It is probably the argument least used by the remain campaign, but the only chance the UK has of avoiding a flood of criminal capital is to stay in Europe. How can we deal with issues that are by definition international - money laundering, terrorism, organised crime, drug trafficking - using only national instruments? The walls of regulation needed to stop the flow of dirty money can be built and maintained only in cooperation with the rest of Europe."