Sicilian court gives accused mobster suffering depression house arrest instead of jail

Accused mobster with depression gets house arrest

ROME — A court in Sicily says a man accused of Mafia ties can be held at home instead of jail because he is suffering from depression.

Giacomo Iene’s lawyer, Giuseppe Lipera, says he has lost 55 pounds (25 kilos) since being arrested in 2006 on charges of Mafia association, and cries constantly.

The tribunal in Catania says even detention in a hospital is dangerous to his health and that his family is “indispensable” for his well-being.

Lipera rejected criticism from politicians worried of the precedent being set for accused mobsters. Lipera says the real scandal is that Iene has been incarcerated for three years awaiting trial because of Italy’s notoriously slow judicial system.