if Lee this week began emerging from
europe's longest lock down against
coronavirus after almost eight weeks of
closed businesses and shuttered shops
many employees and small business owners
are becoming desperate the virus may
have hit the north of the country
hardest but it is the south where the
informal or black economy plays a bigger
role where jobs and incomes are
disappearing fast there are already
signs that organized crime is stepping
forward to fill the vacuum well the
mayor of Naples says the Mafia is
perfectly placed to take advantage your
most political Bob I am very worried
since we are already in a social and
economic epidemic it must not become a
social contagion leading to crime the
Mafia has money and it is not
bureaucratic it may portray itself as
the one who makes sure you have food on
the table and who helps you restart your
business when it's in trouble I am
concerned we risk minimizing the extent
to which the Mafia can recapture
economic and political power as well as
people's appreciation well there is an
article on the BBC News website with
some amazing first-hand accounts from
people linked to the Mafia who say
they've been handling out handing out
food to needy families it's also got the
stories of small businesses who've been
approached by the Mafia with offers of
so-called help Sophie Abed teaser is
from the BBC World Service who wrote
that article and joins me now Sofia
thanks very much for joining us it was
quite interesting reading your article
and the details of the many people
affected in the south of Italy not to
mention the business owners that you've
spoken to that have been approached
directly by the Mafia what have they
been telling you well you know I spoke
to someone who used to be in a mafia and
he told me the Mafia loves a crisis
they've got a lot of money to spend and
right now they'll be helping Italians in
need who may have lost their jobs and
that's how they infiltrate society so as
you mentioned I spoke to some business
owners who have been approached already
by the Mafia a restaurant owner in
Sicily told me he's about to sell his
restaurant which has been shot since
March
he told me is incredibly straightforward
someone knocks on your door they make an
offer there and then you can negotiate
on the price a little bit and that's it
you get the money transferred
transferred into your account in a
matter of days and that's really
appealing for lots of businesses who are
struggling at the moment and who don't
want to be in debt you know he told me
right now my business is sinking and
when someone throws a life vest at you
you can either choose to swim with your
ideals
sorry I meant sink with your ideas or
swim and survive what is the thinking
though that they have no alternative but
for this kind of support on the black
economy this isn't this mafia support I
mean the government have said that they
will loan businesses in need for some
20,000 euros or so but I mean what are
the concerns that these small businesses
are not taking up that kind of an offer
yeah exactly as you mentioned the
Italian government has said that they
will own up to 25 thousand euros to
businesses in need but many feel that it
would be impossible to repay this
because you know Restaurant cafes shops
will reopen in a few weeks in Italy at
the beginning of June but they will have
to do so under very strict social
distancing rules which means fewer
customers and much less money so many
business owners I spoke to told me that
they feel their only option would be to
accept help from the Mafia self the
businesses now without many questions
asked because they feel that otherwise
had been dead forever and enantiomer
fear prosecutor our interview told me
that if the Italian government doesn't
step in right now to help businesses
that are drowning they will be thrown
into the arms of the Mafia you spoke to
somebody as you said a little earlier
that was connected to the Mafia did that
person give you any indication as to you
know why they are stepping in to help
the community and what they're hoping to
get out of this apart from the obvious
which is you know gaining more control
over people yeah I mean I spoke to
somebody who has a mafia member who has
been distributing food parcels to
families in need in it
and that's you know a tactic a various
ancient trick that the Mafia has used
for decades it's a way for them to gain
support and to step in as an alternative
to this safe and you know I spoke to I
tracked him down I spoke to him and he
said to me he gets phone calls from
desperate people every single day who
cry on the phone they say they can't
afford to buy food he talked about a
woman who has five kids a young single
mom who calls him every single day
emptiness doesn't know how to feed her
kids and so he said to me if being a
mafia member means I get to help women
like this one I'm proud to be a mafia
member but you know it just worth
remembering that the Mafia has never
done anything out of the goodness of
their heart a lot of generosity all
these people that are getting help at
this time all the favors at some points
they will have to pay pay be paid back
in some form okay Sophia thank you very
much for joining us and just to let our
viewers know spheres article is on the
BBC News website please do take a look
the details of her investigation are
fascinating to read and showing what
other challenges these hands are facing
and now that they're locked down
restrictions are using their