Salvatore Riina
Salvatore Riina (16 November 1930 – 17 November 2017), nicknamed Totò, was an Italian mobster and chief of the Sicilian Mafia.
Quotes
[edit]- Andreotti is a victim of slander [slandered] just as I am. And Judge Carnevale is an even greater victim. All these turncoats make accusations because they’re being paid.
- Quoted in Totò Riina "Io e Andreotti calunniati", La Stampa, 20 October 1994.
- Balduccio Di Maggio says he drove me there and that I kissed Andreotti. Pa... pa... pa. But I did meet him, accompanied by my bodyguards.
- Quoted in Salvo Palazzolo, Mafia, così Riina parlò di Andreotti: "Ci incontrammo ma il bacio non ci fu", Repubblica.it, 27 August 2014.
- (About the murder of the investigative journalist Mauro De Mauro) The three Grado brothers, having been close to Stefano Bontate and well-connected within the criminal underworld, may be aware of details regarding his disappearance and the location where the body was buried.
- Quoted in Giuseppe Pipitone, Omicidio De Mauro, Riina: "Solo Bontate conosceva il luogo dove venne sepolto", Il Fatto Quotidiano, 16 September 2014.
Quotes about
[edit]- Riina e Provenzano sono due pecorai, perché stavano sotto gli ordini dei politici.
- Riina and Provenzano were mere pawns, because they were under the control of politicians.
- Carmine Schiavone, from an interview with Fabio di Chio and Dario Martini, Carmine Schiavone: "Io boss? Mio figlio l'ha saputo a 17 anni", il Tempo.it, 14 January 2009.
- Riina and Provenzano were mere pawns, because they were under the control of politicians.
- L'unica differenza tra un ladro di professione e un uomo d'affari è che l'uomo d'affari si percepisce come una brava persona. Lui è un'ottima persona. E c'è sempre qualcuno più figlio di puttana di lui. Come Totò Riina, quando il presidente gli ha detto: "Lei stuprava i bambini", e lui diceva: "E in Bosnia che cazzo fanno, signor giudice". il giudice rimase senza parole.
- The only difference between a professional thief and a businessman is that the businessman sees himself as a good person. He’s a brilliant person. And there’s always someone who’s a bigger bastard than him. Like Totò Riina, when the judge said to him, ‘You raped children,’ and he replied, ‘And what the hell are they doing in Bosnia, Your Honour?’ The judge was left speechless.
- Beppe Grillo, Tutto il grillo che conta, Feltrinelli, 2006.
- The only difference between a professional thief and a businessman is that the businessman sees himself as a good person. He’s a brilliant person. And there’s always someone who’s a bigger bastard than him. Like Totò Riina, when the judge said to him, ‘You raped children,’ and he replied, ‘And what the hell are they doing in Bosnia, Your Honour?’ The judge was left speechless.
- From an interview by Gianni Barbacetto, Scarpinato: dopo la morte di Riina, Cosa nostra rischia la guerra, Il Fatto Quotidiano; reported in Giannibarbacetto.it, 18 November 2017
- Over the years, he remained the undisputed leader of Cosa Nostra, but he lacked the flexibility and ability to adapt to new circumstances.
- The death of such an undisputed and charismatic leader as Totò Riina certainly marks a turning point for Cosa Nostra.
- For Riina, the code of silence remained an inviolable rule and a testament to his strength of character, demonstrating his stature as a leader.
- Riina, like Badalamenti and Provenzano, was a central figure not only in the mafia affairs dealt with in the trials, but also in what Giovanni Falcone called "the Big Game". That is, that part of the history of power which was played out behind the scenes, through violent acts such as massacres and murders carried out by Mafia members, but not solely in the Mafia’s interest: such as the murder of Carlo Alberto Dalla Chiesa.
