Camorra: Moccia clan trial in Naples, Gratteri in court for hearing

Naples, 7 October (LaPresse) – Naples prosecutor Nicola Gratteri spoke this morning in courtroom 215 of the Neapolitan court for the hearing of the trial of the Moccia Camorra clan, which is being held before the seventh criminal section. The trial has been at the centre of controversy raised by the Naples Criminal Bar Association due to the acceleration of the trial after the summer break, with 3-4 hearings per week and up to 30 witnesses per day. Criminal lawyers, complaining of violations of the right to defence in court proceedings, have announced a four-day abstention from hearings from 14 to 17 October. With his presence in the courtroom alongside the two prosecutors from the Anti-Mafia Directorate, Gratteri reiterated his desire to defend the decision to speed up the trial that began in 2022 and involves more than 40 alleged members of the Moccia Camorra clan. Last July, 15 alleged prominent members of the clan were released from prison due to the expiry of their pre-trial detention terms; in September, the Review Court rejected the Public Prosecutor’s appeal.