Salvatore Cuffaro
| Salvatore Cuffaro | |
|---|---|
Totó Cuffaro in 2006
|
|
| President of Sicily | |
|
In office 17 July 2001 – 18 January 2008 |
|
| Preceded by | Vincenzo Leanza |
| Succeeded by | Raffaele Lombardo |
| Member of Italian Senate | |
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In office 28 April 2006 – 22 January 2011 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
21 February 1958 Raffadali, Sicily, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Political party |
DC (1978-1994) PPI (1994-1995) CDU (1995-1998) UDR (1998-1999) UDEUR (1999-2000) CDU (2000-2002) UDC (2002-2010) PID (2010-2011) |
| Spouse(s) | Giacoma Chiarelli |
| Children | Two |
| Residence | Palermo |
| Alma mater | University of Palermo |
| Profession | former Politician, Doctor (expelled from the medical order) |
| Salvatore Cuffaro | |
|---|---|
| Born |
21 February 1958 Raffadali, Sicily, Italy |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Other names |
"Totó Vasa Vasa" (Kiss Kiss) |
| Occupation | former politician, doctor (expelled from medical order) |
| Criminal charge |
Aiding and abetting Cosa Nostra favoreggiamento aggravato (it) (art. 416-bis c.p.) |
| Criminal penalty |
7 years in prison, life ban from public office |
| Criminal status |
Arrested on 22 January 2011-Released on 13 December 2015 Served his sentence at the Rebibbia Criminal Penitentiary, Rome |
| Spouse(s) | Giacoma Chiarelli |
| Children | Two |
| Conviction(s) |
Aiding and abetting Cosa Nostra favoreggiamento aggravato (it)(art. 416-bis c.p.) |
Aiding and abetting Cosa Nostra
7 years in prison,
Arrested on 22 January 2011-Released on 13 December 2015 Served his sentence
Aiding and abetting Cosa Nostra
Salvatore "Totò" Cuffaro (born 21 February 1958 in Raffadali, Agrigento) is a convicted criminal, formerly an Italian politician, former President of Sicily, has served an almost 5-year jail sentence for aiding Cosa Nostra. He has earned the nickname "Vasa Vasa" (Sicilian for Kiss Kiss) for his tendency to kiss all and sundry – he claims that he has kissed a quarter of all the people on the island.
A graduate of medicine and surgery at the University of Palermo, with a specialization in radiology, Cuffaro was expelled from the medical order for indignity. He joined the Christian Democrat (DC) party during his student days. Then, after having served as City Councillor in his native city, Raffadali, and Palermo, Cuffaro was first elected Member of the Sicilian Regional Assembly in 1991; in 1996 he served as Regional Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries.
His political career began under the wing of former minister Calogero Mannino, who in the past was suspected of having ties with the Mafia. Following the demise of the DC, he became a member of ex-DC splinter parties before joining the party Union of Christian and Centre Democrats (UDC). He first became known nationally in September 1991, when he defended his political patron Mannino, accused of being a witness at a Mafia wedding, live on television in a joint broadcasting of the Maurizio Costanzo show and Michele Santoro’s Samarcanda, accusing the presenters that their journalism was Mafia journalism. Later, Mannino was absolved. For many years it was falsely told that: "In the presence of Antimafia judge Giovanni Falcone he (Cuffaro) accused the Sicilian prosecutors of manipulating state witnesses (pentiti). In october 2009, Cuffaro denounced for "defamation and threats" the 5000 and above YouTube users who commented the video of the TV show. But, with judgment number 1742 of 2013, the Civil Court of Palermo has ordered compensation in favor of Cuffaro by Antonio Di Pietro, who had linked on its website the video of Cuffaro in Samarcanda under the title "Costanzo show: Totò Cuffaro attacks Giovanni Falcone. "In its judgment the Court found that "there is no evidence of a direct attack from Cuffaro against Prosecutor Falcone," and that Cuffaro himself, if anything, had criticized an investigation that was declared unfounded a few days later. In any case, the prosecutor criticized by Cuffaro was another one, not Falcone.
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Wikipedia