Mafia Capitale: associazione mafiosa e fazione politica

The criminal group known as “Mafia Capitale” undoubtedly represents an important innovation for the Italian judicial history and for the mafia studies. It is, assuming the prosecution, a recently formed mafia group with new traits. Unlike the traditional model of the mafia-type association, Mafia Capitale has an open network structure and specifically operates in the field of political corruption. As it is well known, political corruption is a tool of power and richness for traditional mafia groups; in the case of Mafia Capitale is the milieu it stems from. This new type of mafia group has several characteristics in common with those that the local political groups are taking on as a result of the party transformations. By using the categories of "clique" and "faction", borrowed from the anthropological studies, this contribution outlines the new traits of the group called Mafia Capitale and explores his nature of political association.