Advertisement

Judge will not drop mafia case

PALERMO, Sicily, March 29 (UPI) -- A Sicilian judge has rejected a request to dismiss Mafia charges against Sicily Gov. Raffaele Lombardo Thursday, officials say.

Lombardo and his brother were arrested in 2010 for allegedly swapping votes for favors with Vincenzo Aiello, a member of the Catania-based Santapaola crime family.

Advertisement

ANSA reported Lombardo denies the charges and threatened to sue anyone who alleged he had connections with Aiello.

"I don't know Aiello; I don't even know who he is," Lombardo said when the investigation began. "It's an accusation that is out of this world."

Latest Headlines