On Monday, 4 December, the Verona Chamber of Commerce organised the conference “Prevenire l’infiltrazione mafiosa nel settore del turismo. Quali politiche e strumenti?” (EN: “Preventing the infiltration of the tourism sector by the mafia. What policies and instruments?”), organized by the Legality Council of the Verona Chamber of Commerce in collaboration with the Viso Pubblico association.
Di Nicola explained in his speech that “the pandemic has given organized crime even more resources. It was a huge opportunity, because the mafia was able to take advantage of the great difficulties of the entire tourism sector, as it happened in sectors that were already vulnerable to money laundering and therefore to infiltration by the mafia. Tourist areas such as those of Verona and Trento, with their numerous hotels, are particularly vulnerable. We must not think that the entrepreneurs come with the lupara, but we are talking about the economic mafia, which is made up of offshore companies based in countries such as Cyprus and Malta, and it is very difficult to find out who is behind it. There is a very high risk that those who are vulnerable will fall for purchase offers that seem impossible to refuse, which is why it is necessary to sensitize entrepreneurs.”
Full article [in Italian]