When an Italian journalist launched his bid to become a mayor in Sicily in 2017 he did not expect his campaign trail to lead him to a dimly-lit basement for a negotiation on vote-buying with a mafia boss.
Ismaele La Vardera’s run for the mayoralty of Palermo ended in crushing defeat - but secretly recorded footage of his campaign is set to electrify the country when it is released as a documentary film next month in an expose of the seamy underbelly of Italian politics.
La Vardera, 22, who ran on an independent ticket, is promising an “x-ray of power like you’ve never seen it before” after being asked to strike deals with both the right-wing ruling League and Sicily’s powerful criminals during his campaign for office.
The deal-making involved a secretly-recorded two-hour meeting with deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini, whose right-wing party was looking for a powerful ally in the island that is best-known for its powerful mafia. La Vardera declined to reveal what was said during the meeting before the release of the film “Italian Politics” next month.
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The film also details his meeting with a relative of the imprisoned mafia boss Gino “U Mitra” Abbate in the basement of an apartment building in Palermo. “What was striking was that I had been brought there by a politician,” the journalist said.
There, he was offered a deal: 300 votes in the district will cost him €30 each. “Here we decide who people will vote for, otherwise they don’t vote,” the mafia contact told him.
“I thought we had moved on from that,” said La Vardera.
The documentary also sheds light on how Salvatore Cuffaro – a former governor of Sicily who served almost five years in jail for aiding the mafia organization Cosa Nostra – is still holding the reins of Italian politics in the south. "He was directing the elections as if he was the screenwriter in a movie," La Vardera told The National.
In a scene filmed in Mr Cuffaro’s home, the convicted politician tries to convince La Vardera to support the candidate running with another party, Forza Italia.
In exchange, he offers a position in local government or in a coalition party in the next round of national elections.
“If you play with us, I will do what it takes so that you’ll be elected,” he said.
When the journalist later revealed having recorded the conversation, Mr Cuffaro expressed confidence that business would go on as usual.
“There are already tonnes of wiretaps about me in court. The conversations you have recorded between me and you, will not change anything,” he said.
The secret filming has raised ethical questions about La Vardera’s motives and a judge had been asked to rule whether it was lawful to run a campaign for the purposes of making a film.
An Italian judge has since ruled that the campaign was authentic and that the decision to film came after he became a candidate.
“I hope the documentary will spark debate and lead people to reflect on who they are voting for,” said La Vardera.
He secured a meagre 2.7 per cent of the vote at the June 2017 election.
Turkish Ladies
Various artists, Sony Music Turkey
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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Company Profile
Company name: Yeepeey
Started: Soft launch in November, 2020
Founders: Sagar Chandiramani, Jatin Sharma and Monish Chandiramani
Based: Dubai
Industry: E-grocery
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Seemar’s top six for the Dubai World Cup Carnival:
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2. North America
3. Raven’s Corner
4. Hawkesbury
5. New Maharajah
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Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
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Paris Can Wait
Dir: Eleanor Coppola
Starring: Alec Baldwin, Diane Lane, Arnaud Viard
Two stars
The biog
First Job: Abu Dhabi Department of Petroleum in 1974
Current role: Chairperson of Al Maskari Holding since 2008
Career high: Regularly cited on Forbes list of 100 most powerful Arab Businesswomen
Achievement: Helped establish Al Maskari Medical Centre in 1969 in Abu Dhabi’s Western Region
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Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
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Meatless Days
Sara Suleri, with an introduction by Kamila Shamsie
Penguin
The specs
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Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
