VALLETTA (MALTA) (ITALPRESS/MNA) – Prime Minister Robert Abela has dismissed allegations linking Agriculture Minister Anton Refalo to Sicilian mafia boss Totò Riina, saying documentation shows no connection between the minister and the notorious figure.
Speaking to journalists, Abela said Refalo had provided evidence confirming that the Gozo property he leases is owned by an Italian woman, not Riina. The villa, he added, was administered by her legal representative, from whom Refalo signed a lease in 2002.
The prime minister’s remarks follow scrutiny from Italian media, which highlighted claims that Riina—arrested in 1993 and convicted of multiple murders—frequented Gozo in the 1980s and may have used the same seafront property now leased by Refalo.
Abela said he personally reviewed documents related to the villa and was “satisfied” with the explanation provided.
“What matters is that the timeline of facts clearly shows there is no connection between Totò Riina and the ownership of the property or its subsequent lease,” he said.
However, Abela avoided endorsing Refalo’s assertion that he did not know who Riina was, responding instead: “What I can tell you is that I know who Totò Riina was.”
The prime minister also described the allegations as “decades-old speculations” and questioned their timing.
Records show the property was last sold in May 1979 to an Italian woman from Brescia. Refalo entered a long-term lease agreement in 2002, which required him to pay annual rent and undertake renovations on the then-decrepit house.
– Photo IPA Agency –
(ITALPRESS).
