In mid-August, an anti-mafia operation which was carried out between Italy, Brazil and Switzerland led to an arrest and the freezing of 50 million euros. In Valais, this led to a search of the home of an Italian businessman established in Saxon, at the head of nearly forty companies. We remember the meeting of ‘Ndrangheta mafiosi filmed in Frauenfeld in 2014. We reveal this hidden side of Switzerland with Madeleine Rossi, investigative journalist and author of the book “La mafia en Suisse”.
“The mafioso today in Switzerland looks like you, like me, like the people you meet in the street. It’s anyone,” explains Madeleine Rossi. The investigative journalist, specialist in Italian organized crime, deciphers in this episode of Point J the discreet but deep establishment of Italian mafia organizations in Switzerland, particularly in Valais.
Mafia news happens every day and it’s everywhere in Switzerland.
Despite the awareness of the authorities, the fight against this phenomenon remains complex. Measures such as an anti-mafia certificate for companies or strengthening the anti-money laundering law could help, according to Madeleine Rossi.
“Most people don’t worry about getting up in the morning. […] Afterwards, when we dig a little deeper, we realize that many people are concerned by the phenomenon.” Philippe Jansen, co-president of the Valais Vert’liberaux, a party which has made the fight against the mafia one of its campaign themes during last year’s federal election, explains why.
What activities do Italian mafias carry out in Switzerland? How do our institutions fight against the phenomenon?
>> Listen to the Point J podcast:
Julie Winz and the Point J team
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