"The mafia aggravating factor exists," because the Palermo Prosecutor's Office has appealed against Teresi and Vetro.

The Prosecutor's Office of Palermo will appeal to the Review Court the order of the Preliminary Investigating Judge that excluded the mafia aggravating circumstance against the official of the Sicilian Region Giancarlo Teresi and the mafioso from Favara Carmelo Vetro, arrested on March 10.

The prosecutors, coordinated by Deputy Vito Di Giorgio, had charged both with corruption aggravated by the facilitation of Cosa Nostra; the judge, while ordering preventive detention, did not find direct connections with the association and deemed it unproven that the corrupt agreement was "made in order to benefit" the clan. The hearing on the appeal is scheduled for April 10.

According to the prosecution, the regional official allegedly received bribes in exchange for the assistance provided to Vetro's company in the awarding of public contracts.

Next Monday, also before the Review Court, the requests for revocation of the precautionary measures for the two suspects and the seizure of 90 thousand euros found in the home of the former manager of the Policlinico of Messina, Salvatore Iacolino, involved in the investigation, will also be discussed. Iacolino's lawyers, attorneys Giuseppe Di Peri and Arnaldo Faro, have anticipated the defense strategy: the cash found in the safe would come from withdrawals made from his bank accounts and, therefore, would not have illicit origin.

The former general director of the university hospital company is accused of having, in exchange for financial support for electoral campaigns, accredited Carmelo Vetro with key figures in regional politics and administration.