Palermo mafia clans laundering money abroad: 17 million moved through Swift
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To move the money of Palermo’s mafia clans, they exploited the international Swift circuit, a method used to transfer sums of money abroad without leaving a trace. The money laundering operations uncovered by the carabinieri today, who have issued 11 precautionary measures, consist of two transactions: one of 12 million euros and the other of nearly 5 million euros. The Palermo mafiosi entrusted the money to the “cousins” in Salemi who, with the help of consultants and intermediaries capable of mastering Swift, carried out the intricate designs.
Swift, an electronic platform that allows banks to exchange messages with financial information through a code, is like a whatsapp for financial institutions, allowing, for example, to ensure payment for a valuable item before its shipment from one continent to another.
The protagonists of the investigation mastered the financial instrument and exploited its potential to transfer the sums abroad while hiding their origin. The two main protagonists of the investigation, Salvatore and Andrea Angelo, entrepreneurs from Salemi (Tp), were approached by the mafia boss Michele Micalizzi, who needed to move the clan’s dirty money. The plan also involved complacent entrepreneurs and “ambiguous figures in the sector”, as described by the judge. In 2019, 12 million euros from the mafia were transferred from an account in a German bank to an HSBC branch. The investigators intercepted the Swift report file, a summary of the necessary elements to identify the transaction details.
The investigation also involves a woman: “a lady with 40,000 balls, knows the whole world, 4 or 5 languages,” said the suspects, as well as Spanish and Irish entrepreneurs. In another case, 4.9 million euros were transferred. All subjects involved in the plan were paid. According to the investigators, for example, the Angelos received a 10% commission on the transferred funds.
Riciclavano i soldi dei clan palermitani, spostati su banche estere 17 milioni con il circuito internazionale Swift
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