Sicilian governor quits after Mafia conviction

SICILY - Sicily's governor has resigned after being convicted of helping people linked to the Mafia.

Salvatore Cuffaro denied all charges and said he did not know at the time that the people he was helping were involved with the Mafia. He plans to appeal.

After his conviction by an Italian court last week, Cuffaro said he would not quit.

His resignation on Saturday followed reports that the national government was planning a move to oust him.

The court on January 18 sentenced Cuffaro, a member of the centre-right opposition, to five years in prison for helping people linked to the Mafia and divulging confidential information about anti-mob investigations.

But the court in the Sicilian capital Palermo found him not guilty on more serious charges of aiding and abetting the Mafia.

In Italy sentences are generally enforced only once the appeals process has been exhausted.

- REUTERS