Bernardo Provenzano was a representative of the Sicilian mafia. For a long time he was the head of the Corleonesi clan and was considered the godfather of the goat nostra. He managed to hide for forty years, living and conducting all business on his native island. He was arrested only at the age of seventy-three, thanks to a large-scale operation that lasted about a year.
Famous mobster nicknames
During his life, Bernardo Provenzano had several nicknames that stuck to him during his years in the ranks of the Italian mafia. At the beginning of the journey, he was often called the Bulldozer or the Binnu Tractor. This was due to his nature, how intractable and uncompromising he was when performing assassinations for his boss.
Another nickname, The Accountant, came later. It has to do with how gentle and skillful Provenzano was in managing his own underworld when he became the boss himself.
The start of the journey
Bornardo Provenzano was born on January 31, 1933 in Corleone. He was the third child in the family of the peasant Angelo Provenzano. After graduating from elementary school, the boy stopped studying and began to work with his father.
At the age of twenty one hiswas called up for military service, but was soon dismissed for medical reasons.
From an early age, Bernardo committed petty crimes and joined the Corleonesi mafia clan. The boss of this group was Michele Navarra. However, a conflict arose in the mafia family due to the ambitions of Luciano Leggio. Bernardo chooses the side of the ambitious Lejo and in 1958, along with other killers, kills Navarro. Luciano Leggio becomes head of the Corleonesi. Provenzano's job was to physically eliminate the supporters of the former boss.
In 1963, Provenzano was accused of murder and issued a warrant for his arrest. Since then, he began to hide from justice. He managed to do this until 2006.
Working for Salvatore Riina
In 1974, Luciano Leggio is accused of murder and arrested. Salvatore Riina comes to power. At this time, Bernardo Provenzano became the deputy and right hand of the boss. He began to manage the financial affairs of the clan, including the heroin trade.
At the very beginning of the eighties of the twentieth century, the second mafia war took place, as a result of which Riina rose above the rest of the families of Sicily. During the conflict between the clans, more than a thousand mafiosi died. Whether Bernardo had anything to do with this is not known.
In 1993, the head of the Corleonesi clan was arrested. He received a life sentence. Bernardo became his successor.
Arrest in absentia and leadership of the clan
Bernardo Provenzano was also sentenced in absentia. His biography was full of various kinds of crimes. But he was extremely cautious and skillfully hid. Only those closest to him knew about his whereabouts. He did not use the phone to conduct business. He transmitted his orders through short notes, which were called "pizzini".
The New Provenzano Mafia
When the Italian mobster Bernardo Provenzano became the godfather of the Sicilian mafia, he did not carry out mass terrorist attacks in order to avenge the local authorities for the onslaught on his group. He acted more flexibly, taking measures to strengthen his own influence on various government and financial structures.
When he came to power, he was able to restore the former principles of the mafia, which Riina had canceled at one time. What principles did Bernardo Provenzano follow?
7 rules a famous mobster lived by:
- Disappearance - is to temporarily leave if the company is not doing well. This will get rid of negative characteristics, such as "surviving difficulties."
- Mediation - you need to be able to skillfully negotiate. This meant calmness, perseverance, correctness in voicing thoughts, the use of several sources of information.
- Consensus - the mafia, in the understanding of Provenzano, should appear before people as a positive component of society.
- God must be on our side - Provenzano read and revered the Holy Scriptures. He believed that people would trust the goat nostra if hesubordinates will show piety, piety, respect. To do this, he sent them copies of the Bible.
- Be politically flexible - the ability to change political alliance if it is good for the cause.
- Rethinking - the ability to distance oneself from unsuccessful cases and scandals so that it is not associated with the name.
- Modesty - Provenzano was able to break from the Bulldozer into a strategist and leader. He achieved a lot thanks to his ability to seem stupider than he really is.
However, all these rules could not keep him from being arrested. Although he managed to hide for quite a long time, namely forty-three years.
2006 arrest
It was incomprehensible to many how a criminal could hide on the relatively small island that was Sicily for such a long period of time. Most likely, it was not without cover from the authorities. Otherwise, the mafia would have had a shorter biography.
Bernardo Provenzano even visited France in 2002 to undergo prostate surgery at a Marseille hospital. According to the documents found, the procedure was paid for by the Italian National He alth System. DNA tests confirmed that Bernardo was a patient in a French clinic.
Large-scale hunt for the mafia boss began in 2005. More than a hundred representatives and accomplices of the mafia were arrested, but Provenzano could not be captured. The case was hampered by the fact that the police did not have a photograph of the perpetrator. The only picture datedsixties of the twentieth century. To obtain an approximate identikit, the existing picture was aged using a computer program.
The large-scale action paid off, and on 11.04.2006, the mafia boss was captured near his hometown of Corleone. The event became a real sensation.
Provenzano's trial was not held, as he had already been sentenced to life imprisonment several times in absentia. He was placed in the prison of the city of Terni. He was isolated from the world and could only see his lawyer, and the camera was under constant video surveillance.
Successor
The arrest of Provenzano provoked speculation in the press about who will be the successor to the mafia boss. The main contenders were Salvatore Lo Piccolo, Matteo Messina Denaro, Domenico Raccuglia.
There is an assumption that the way of management in the world of mafiosi has changed, and not one person, but a whole group is engaged in leadership. Although there should be a boss among them who could extinguish internal disputes.
Most agree that the main successor and current boss is Matteo Messina Denaro, who is on the run.
Death of a mobster
Bernardo Provenzano, whose biography and family is connected with the Sicilian mafia, died on 2016-13-07 in Milan (St. Peter's Hospital). The cause of death of the octogenarian former leader of Cosa Nostra was bladder cancer.
Interesting facts
- In 2008, the series "The Last Patron" was released in Italy, telling about the events that took place a few years before the capture of the "godfather" in 2006. The main role went to Michele Placido. The film is difficult to recommend to everyone, it is rather for an interested viewer. The plot will be understandable only to those who are interested in the world of the Sicilian mafia and who are fans of Placido's acting.
- The arrest of the "godfather" was carried out by tracing the delivery of clean linen to an abandoned farm, which was located near the fugitive's hometown. The road that leads to the house was named after the arrest of the mafia. Many tourists take photos at the sign that stands at the entrance to the city.
- Bernardo Provenzano, whose children could see their father in prison only once a month, was married to Saveria. His sons are named Angelo and Paolo.
