Giuseppe Graviano to testify regarding meetings with Silvio Berlusconi

Mafia boss Giuseppe Graviano is scheduled to be heard by prosecutors in Florence on September 21 as a witness in the ongoing trial of Salvatore Baiardo. Graviano, currently held under strict 41bis prison regime in Cagliari, had previously indicated his willingness to testify regarding past meetings with the late Silvio Berlusconi.

The proceedings in Florence involve Baiardo, who is defending himself against charges of slander against television host Massimo Giletti. Baiardo has a prior conviction for aiding the Graviano bosses and faces additional charges of aggravated aiding and abetting for Silvio Berlusconi and Marcello Dell’Utri.

This hearing follows testimony from Giovanni Brusca, a former Cosa Nostra boss turned collaborator, who spoke on September 10. Brusca claimed that mafia members intended to blame the political left for the 1992 and 1993 bombings to assist Berlusconi. Brusca also stated he learned through Matteo Messina Denaro about meetings between Graviano and Berlusconi in Milan.

Graviano has previously addressed these interactions during a 2020 trial in Reggio Calabria, stating he met Berlusconi three times regarding construction sector projects. During that trial, when asked if Berlusconi was aware he was meeting a fugitive, Graviano replied, “I don’t know, I think so.”