NAPLES (Reuters) - An Italian businessman who was helping police break organised crime gangs that operate waste disposal rackets in Naples was gunned down on Sunday in an apparent mafia hit, police said.
The latest killing in the southern Italian city, which inrecent months has become as famous for its piles of trash asfor its reputation for crime, came on a day that thousands ofpeople attended a rally against plans to open new rubbishdumps.
Police said Michele Orsi, a businessman with mafia linkswho had turned informant, was shot three times near his home byassailants who were lying in wait.
Orsi, who worked in the waste disposal business, had spenttime in jail last year during an investigation into mafiainvolvement in the trade. He turned informant and gave evidenceagainst a suspect at a court hearing two weeks ago.
"The case is even more serious than previous ones. This wasa businessman from the Caserta area (of Naples) who, althoughhe had colluded with organised crime, was helpinginvestigations," said anti-mafia investigator Franco Roberti.
Crime experts say the Camorra, the Naples mafia, has beeninvolved in the lucrative waste dumping business for decades --one of the reasons the city's refuse system ground to a halt atthe end of last year when all official dumps were declaredfull.
Political inadequacy and local opposition to new wastedisposal sites has hampered years of attempts to clean up whathas become a chronic problem in Italy's third largest city.
Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi's new conservativegovernment, which campaigned in April's election promising toclean up Naples' trash crisis, has vowed to force open newtrash dumps and face down local opposition with the army ifnecessary.
Some 10,000 protestors held a peaceful rally on Sundayoutside the site of one of the new dumps, some shouting:"Berlusconi dictator".
(Writing by Robin Pomeroy; Editing by Catherine Evans)
