The carabinieri had been on the trail of Matteo Messina Denaro's woman for days, after finding condoms, viagra and women's clothes in the boss's hideout.
But in the end she showed up at the Carabinieri station in Campobello di Mazara and was immediately interrogated by the Carabinieri del Ros and the Provincial Command of Trapani.
" We dated, I had a relationship with him that lasted a few months, but I didn't know who he was until I saw him on TV ," she said.
She's not the only one: more and more people are turning up spontaneously at police stations and police stations to tell them that they had met the fugitive. But that only when they saw him on TV, in the images of the capture in the "La Maddalena" clinic, did they realize that that kind and jovial person was the most wanted mafia boss in Italy , author of dozens of murders and protagonist of the massacre season of the Corleonesi of Totò Riina.
Testimonies that can be useful to investigators, who are trying to reconstruct the godfather's life: movements, habits, acquaintances, business stories. The goal is to trace the safety net that ensured the boss's long inaction .
Some say they saw him in a clinic in Palermo, others that they were part of the group of cancer patients with whom Messina Denaro underwent chemotherapy.
All these witnesses, even the lover, are not currently under investigation. But checks and verifications on the versions provided are in progress .
For now, two people have been arrested as part of the investigation coordinated by the chief prosecutor of Palermo Maurizio De Lucia and the deputy Paolo Guido: Giovanni Luppino, the driver who accompanied Messina Denaro to the Palermo clinic, and Andrea Bonafede, who served his identity to the boss ; both are accused of mafia association.
Instead, Antonio and Vincenzo Luppino, sons of the arrested farmer, and Alfonso Tumbarello, the boss's doctor, are investigated. Investigators are assessing the whereabouts of other people. Among the material recovered during the searches in Campobello di Mazara, the investigators found five identity cards in the names of as many individuals but with photos of Messina Denaro, documents that the boss could have used while on the run. An investigation is underway to understand whether these are stolen identities or supporters.