Mafia in Africa

2015-04-17

The Italian mafia has established a hidden but lethal presence in Africa. Its members own diamond mines, nightclubs and land, all with the complicity of corrupt regimes.

Italian anti-Mafia authorities estimate that organised crime groups earn €26 billion a year in Italy alone. But the figure only scratches the surface of its economic power. Mafia Inc. is more than ever a global business, infiltrating legitimate economies worldwide. And the extent of the empire is unknown.

Ten investigative reporters from six different countries, one data journalist and a data scientist, three editors, one cross-examiner and a bunch of lawyers joined the effort in producing in-depth research into the Mafia's involvement in 13 countries. The work took seven months, and included trips to Sicily, Calabria, Campania, Lazio, Lombardy, in Italy and South Africa, Namibia, Senegal and Kenya, in Africa.

Mafia in Africa draws a bleak picture, and highlights the need for the international community to reform its policies, to monitor and fight the economic infiltration by criminals and prevent the dire consequences on unstable African societies.

Team members

Cecilia Anesi

Cecilia Anesi (1987) is an Italian journalist and reporter at the Investigative Reporting Project Italy (IRPI).

Giulio Rubino

Giulio Rubino (1980) is an Italian journalist.

Lorenzo Bagnoli

Lorenzo Bagnoli is co-director, journalist, editor and coordinator of international projects at IrpiMedia.

Khadija Sharife

Khadija Sharife is an investigative writer and researcher based in South Africa.

Lorenzo Bodrero

Lorenzo Bodrero is an investigative and data journalist from Italy, co-founder of the investigative outlet IrpiMedia.

Craig Shaw

Craig Shaw is a British journalist and editor of The Black sea Project.

Stefano Gurciullo

Stefano Gurciullo is an Italian data specialist based in Berlin (Germany)

Davide Mancino

Davide Mancino is an Italian journalist and editor of datajournalism.it.

Supported

Grant of €8.000, allocated on 30/10/2014

ECB/2014/227

Grant

European Cross-border Grants

ONLINE

'Mafia in Africa' (CORRECT!V, April 17th 2015)
'Mafia in Africa' (DE) (CORRECT!V, April 17th 2015)
'Enquête. Comment la mafia sicilienne s'est infiltrée en Afrique du Sud' (FR) (Courrier International, June 25th 2015)
'Трафикант от ДС и омански пари в „гнилата ябълка“ Инвестбанк около кървав бизнес на Коза Ностра' (BG) (Bivol, April 17th 2015)
''Cosa Nostra AG'' (CORRECT!V, April 16th 2015)
'Cosa Nostra Diamonds' (CORRECT!V, April 16th 2015)
'Kenya's Drug Barons' (CORRECT!V, April 16th 2015)
'Kenya's Safe Haven' (CORRECT!V, April 16th 2015)
'Africa: is Cosa Nostra' (CORRECT!V, April 16th 2015)
'Charter House Bank: A Money Laundering Machine' (CORRECT!V, April 16th 2015)
'Married to the Mob: The diamond boer and the honeytrap' (IT) (Mail & Guardian, April 17th 2015)
'Diamanti di sangue per Cosa nostra. “I soldi della mafia nelle miniere dell’Africa”' (IT) (Il Fatto Quotidiano, April 17th 2015)
'Vito Palazzolo, il padrino dei diamanti' (IT) (L'Espresso, April 16th 2015)

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