PN media exploits shamed Sicilian president’s comments

The Nationalist Party newspaper Il-Mument chose to dedicate last Sunday's front page to former president of Sicily, Rafaelle Lombardo, who was quoted as saying that Sicily should model its economy on Malta.

Il-Mument said the former president of the autonomous region, described Malta as "a country that offers important economic opportunities and an advantageous taxation system. It is a model for us in many different aspects.'

The former Sicilian president formed the autonomist Sicilian-based Movement for Autonomy in 2005, after splitting from the Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC).

Lombardo's comments, which were also carried by other PN media, was given a lot of prominence, in an attempt to portray Lombardo's comments as a 'certificate of quality' for the Nationalist government.

However, the PN media failed to mention that Lombardo resigned his post following repeated accusations of having links with Sicily's mafia Cosa Nostra and countless corruption scandals.

The newspaper totally disregarded Lombardo's contribution to the financial disaster in Sicily, his criminal record and the fragile political context in which the comments were given.

Il-Mument was quoting a report in Italian newspaper La Repubblica in which Lombardo rubbished the threat of bankruptcy and hinted at complete secession.

Lombardo resigned in July following a flurry of accusations linking him with the Sicilian mob. Sicily will hold gubernatorial and regional assembly elections on 28 and 29 October.

Prosecutors submitted a request to try Lombardo along with his brother Angelo, a member of Parliament and member of Lombardo's Movement for autonomy party, for allegedly exchanging votes for favours with a convicted Mafia boss.

Lombardo epitomised the failings of the Sicilian political class's corruption, waste and nepotism. Like many of his predecessors, Lombardo has been investigated, arrested, prosecuted, condemned and ultimately released on corruption charges.

He is also accused of collusion with the mafia, using public jobs as election campaign weapons, handing out lucrative government contracts for friends and party supporters and political cronyism with deals made for mutual benefit.
Lombardo's predecessor, UDC's Salvatore Cuffaro, is serving seven years for his links to Mafia bosses.

Autonomy

Sicily gained autonomy from Italy in 1946. The Italian Constitution acknowledges the island's powers in relation to legislation, administration and finance.

Sicily keeps all levied taxes collected in the Mediterrenean's largest island, however the region has to finance the health-care system, the educational system and most public infrastructures. Sicily gets additional resources from the Italian state in order to finance all services.

Bankruptcy

Famous for its sultry beauty, its gastronomy and Cosa Nostra, Sicily has been dubbed "Italy's Greece", synonymous with squandered EU funds, civil service jobs traded for votes and a €5bn debt pile that some fear could push Italy's fragile economy to the wire.

This summer, pressure has been mounting on Italian prime minister, Mario Monti, to take over the control of Sicily's precarious finances after Monti himself warned Sicily could default.

A cash injection of €400m from Monti's government allayed fears of imminent meltdown, but Sicily continues to pay about 144,000 regional staff, nurses, consultants and temporary workers, including an astonishing 26,000 forestry workers, many working limited hours and holding down second jobs.

Since 2000, Sicily has been entitled to around €20 billion in EU grants, but only a tiny fraction of that money has been claimed.

The mafia has made a fortune through a series of botched EU funded projects such as the construction of a dam without water.

Brussels is now demanding Sicily to return €600 million after money was spent on dubious projects such as couscous festivals, golf tournaments and the refurbishment of a bar.

Cosa Nostra, the Camorra in Naples and the 'Ndrangheta in Calabria together generate over €100 billion a year, making the Italian mafia the biggest enterprise in Italy.