Judge arrested in Italy anti-Mafia swoop

PALERMO - Italy's anti-Mafia police arrested 16 people, including a judge and a deputy police chief, in a nationwide sweep on Monday taking aim at corruption and Cosa Nostra money laundering activities. 

Among those involved in the operation were magistrate Giuseppe Savoca, head of the bankruptcy tribunal in the northeast Sicilian city of Messina, who was put under house arrest for allegedly breaking secrecy rules.  

Anti-Mafia magistrate Vincenzo Barbaro was placed under investigation, but not arrested. He told Italian media he planned to defend himself before authorities in nearby Reggio Calabria, at the toe of Italy.  

Deputy policy chief Alfio Lombardo, based in Palermo, was also placed under house arrest.  

The arrests, mostly in Messina, are the latest in a slew of raids on Mafia outposts across Sicily, including a raid in March aimed at crushing the San Lorenzo Mafia clan.  

The Messina operation stems from an investigation into alleged corruption and money laundering. There were also arrests in Italian regions like Lombardy, Tuscany and the island of Sardinia. 

- REUTERS