Driver and cashier of the boss from Alcamo Nicolò Melodia and factotum of the democratic party senator Nino Papania, former regional work councillor of the centre-left council between 1998 and 2000 lead by Angelo Capodicasa. This was the double role of Filippo Di Maria, one of the 10 people arrested in the anti-mafia operation carried out by the police of Trapani and coordinated by the Dda of Palermo.

Investigations proved that Di Maria, 46 years old, amongst the various summits, took care of the garden of the villa and the car of the member of Parliament. Telephone tapping also revealed that he also sought votes and, on the occasion of the Democratic party’s primary elections in 2005, for the Presidency of the Sicilian Region, he procured votes for Ferdinando Latteri, the candidate of the Margherita, which was also Papania’s party. But the primaries were won by Rita Borsellino. Di Maria did not just have a role in the Primaries. The boss’ driver also got involved in the fight against the quorum in the electoral referendum in 2005. “He said to hurry up because we were in a bad situation”, said Di Maria to his friends, without knowing that his telephone calls were spied on, talking, according to investigators, with Papania.

Translated by Chiara Nunnari from John Milton Institute