A trial that will begin at the end of November will establish whether a mafia-style association existed in Sardinia that linked together a part of the criminal world with institutional and political circles .
The ruling was made by Luca Melis, the preliminary hearing judge of the Cagliari Court, who ordered 25 indictments , but also a summary sentence of 2 years and 8 months for Thomas Littarru , and four plea bargains granted to Marco Zanardi (one year and 8 months), Andrea Daga (one year and a half), Alessia Deidda (one year and eight months), and Alice Deidda (two years), all with suspended sentences. Healthcare managers Massimo Temussi and Giorgio Carboni were acquitted of all charges.
The investigation by the Cagliari District Anti-Mafia Directorate—led by prosecutors Rossana Allieri and Emanuele Secci—concerns an alleged criminal organization believed to operate between Cagliari, Barbagia, and other areas of Sardinia, with ramifications in Northern Italy.
At the center of the investigation by the Carabinieri ROS (Special Operations Squad), a well-known figure from the criminal past, Nicolò Cossu, is identified as the instigator and leader of the syndicate. He is supported, among others, by Tonino Crissantu , the Cagliari-born doctor Tommaso Cocco , the rector of the University of Sassari, Gavino Mariotti , the former regional councilor Gabriella Murgia , Antonio Giuseppe Mesina , and Giovanni Mercurio . Paolo Murgia's case on the mafia charge was dismissed because the preliminary investigation did not allow for a reasonable conviction. Battista Mele's case was dismissed due to his death.
According to the DDA, the group pursued a dual objective: on the one hand, it exercised control over drug trafficking for only some of the suspects, while others developed a network of relationships with representatives of institutions, healthcare, politics, and the professions to obtain favors, positions, protection, and confidential information.
