Maxi Trial: Encyclopedia II - Maxi Trial - Location and Defendants

Maxi Trial - Location and Defendants

Never before in the history of the Mafia had so many Mafiosi been on trial at the same time. A total of 474 defendants were facing charges, although 119 of them were to be tried in absentia as they were fugitives and still on the run (Salvatore Riina was one of these absent defendants.)

Amongst those present were Luciano Leggio, Riina's predeccesor, who acted as his own lawyer, and also Giuseppe Pipo Calo and Michele Greco (the latter was the uncle of the infamous mass-killer Pino Greco.)

The Maxi trial took place next to the Ucciardone (the Palermo prison) in a bunker specially designed to try the defendants. It was a large octagonal building and inside there were cages built in to the green walls holding the many defendents in large groups. There were over six-hundred members of the press as well as many carabinieri wielding machine guns keeping an eye on the defendents.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Location and Defendants", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki