Page 27 - bon-dia-aruba-20200718

A27
WORLD NEWS Saturday 18 July 2020
Warning: Italy’s Mafias eye EU’s billions in recovery funds

By FRANCES D'EMILIO stantial financial infusions,"
Associated Press DIA's report said.
ROME (AP) — Italy's anti- It recommended that Italy's
Mafia investigators issued system of preventing finan-
a dramatic warning Friday cial crimes by mobsters be
that mobsters will scheme "ductile, adaptable and
to get some of hundreds of dynamic." Those adjectives
billions of euros in European could also apply to Italy's
Union recovery aid after crime syndicates, par-
the pandemic. ticularly the 'ndrangheta,
As EU country leaders were which have proven to usu-
huddling in Brussels about ally be one step ahead of
the amount and condi- investigators, as Italian au-
tions for aid, the paramili- thorities have lamented.
tary general heading Italy's Mobsters were quick to
anti-Mafia investigative take advantage of the Eu-
agency DIA said mobsters ropean economic crisis a
are surely already map- decade ago, particularly
ping strategies to tap into in Italy, either through loan-
some of that money, in- sharking or by using figure-
cluding through corruption heads to become partners
or exploiting the country's in legitimate enterprises.
notoriously slow, inefficient In this Wednesday, May 18, 2005 file photo, a poster against Camorra (Neapolitan Mafia), reading When the businesses fail,
bureaucracy. "People paying protection money are people without dignity", is seen on a wall beside a shop the mobsters take them
Carabinieri Gen. Giuseppe window in downtown Naples, Italy. Associated Press over, using ill-gained reve-
Governale in an interview nues to make ''clean" mon-
with RAI state TV likened the sters influence local au- tigations against organized revenues to buy up strug- ey for themselves.
expected windfall of aid thorities who award such crime in the last six months gling hotels, pharmacies, The DIA said its warning
after COVID-19 devastated lucrative contracts, DIA's of 2019. But with much of restaurants, car dealerships went beyond Italy's borders
much of Europe's economy nearly 900-page, semi- Europe struggling to regain and clothing shops. In par- especially since, investiga-
to mammoth reconstruc- annual report to Parlia- its economic footing after ticular the 'ndrangheta, tors say, the ''ndrangheta
tion following World War II. ment on the state of the months of coronavirus lock- considered Italy's most in particular as well as the
"Hundreds of billions (of eu- country's crime syndicates down, the DIA decided powerful crime syndicate country's other mafias are
ros) will pour into Europe noted that more than 50 to sound an alarm that EU and one of the world's ma- already rooted in much of
and Italy, and at this point, municipal governments in funds will be seen as manna jor criminal organizations, Europe and beyond and
the Mafia won't stand Italy — mostly in the south, for Italy's mobsters, who in is well positioned to go on the pandemic-triggered
around and watch,'' Gov- mobsters' traditional power the last few decades have a buying spree, especially recession has "taken on
ernale said. "The Mafia will bases, but also as far north already heavily infiltrated considering tourism and re- global dimensions."
dive into this sea" of money. as the Alps — are currently the country's economy. tail sectors have been dev- On the micro level, the
Italy's several crime syndi- being run by local prefects, With Italy's economy stag- astated by the lockdown. investigators noted that
cates have often used in- after investigators deter- nant for years even before "The international econo- Italy's mobsters, including
timidation or connivance mined that crime bosses the pandemic, mobsters my will need liquidity, and Cosa Nostra in Sicily, can
to win public works con- had conditioned elected have used many of their in this, the ('ndrangheta) turn to time-tested meth-
tracts in the country. town officials. billions of euros in cocaine clans will go compete with ods of helping out families
As a measure of how mob- The report reviewed inves- and other drug trafficking the markets in need of sub- at risk of poverty. q

China says it’s not trying to replace U.S., won’t be bullied

BEIJING (AP) — China isn't in the military, technol- cautioned American busi-
seeking to confront or re- ogy, economic and other ness leaders against pro-
place the United States spheres. moting policies favorable
as the world's top techno- "As an independent sover- to Beijing. He asserted that
logical power, but will fight eign state, China has the China at the beginning of
back against "malicious right to safeguard its own the coronavirus pandemic
slander" and attacks from sovereignty, security and had not only dominated
Washington, a foreign development interests, to the market for protective
ministry spokesperson said defend the achievements gear, exposing American
Friday, responding to a lit- made by the Chinese dependence on Beijing,
any of recent accusations people with hard work, to but had also hoarded sup-
from the Trump administra- refuse any bullying and in- plies and blocked produc-
tion. justice against China, and ers from exporting them to
Hua Chunying said China's to fight back against mali- countries in need.
chief concern is improving cious slander and attacks Barr also accused hack-
the livelihoods of its citizens by the U.S. against China," ers linked to the Chinese
and maintaining global Hua said at a daily brief- government of target- A resident wearing mask to curb the spread of the coronavirus
peace and stability, de- ing. ing American universities carries a United States flag shopping bag in Beijing on
spite what critics say is an Her comments came in re- and businesses to steal Wednesday, July 8, 2020.
increasingly aggressive sponse to a speech Thurs- research related to coro- Associated Press
foreign policy that looks to day by U.S. Attorney Gen- navirus vaccine devel- legation against Beijing cies made similar claims
expand Chinese influence eral William Barr in which he opment, leveling the al- hours after Western agen- against Russia. q