Salvatore Cancemi

Cancemi made controversial allegations about the collusion of Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and his right-hand man Marcello Dell'Utri with the Mafia.

Cancemi told prosecutors that the choice of the 1993 mainland bomb targets had been "suggested" to Cosa Nostra since the organisation did not possess sufficient "refinement" to select them autonomously.

Riina and Provenzano told him that they had found "political contacts" through which things would improve and legislation regarding the harsh article 41-bis prison regime would be changed.

[4] In 1996, Cancemi declared that Silvio Berlusconi and his right-hand man Marcello Dell'Utri were in direct contact with Riina who ordered the bombings which killed Antimafia magistrates, Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino.

[11] Salvatore Cancemi disclosed that Fininvest, through Marcello Dell'Utri and mafioso Vittorio Mangano, had paid Cosa Nostra 200 million lire (100 000 euro) annually.

The alleged contacts, according to Cancemi, were to lead to legislation favourable to Cosa Nostra, in particular the proposed reforms to the harsh 41-bis prison regime.

The underlying premise was that Cosa Nostra would support Berlusconi's Forza Italia party in return for political favours.

[12] Despite convictions for participating in several murders, for instance the ones on Christian Democrat politician Salvatore Lima (DC - Democrazia Cristiana), the magistrates Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino, and police officer Ninni Cassarà, Cancemi was not incarcerated.