There are no better times than moments of crisis to surface and make money. This is what cybercriminals and criminal organizations all over the world do. It is the motto of the Mafia in Italy that comes to “lend a hand” by lending money in cash and immediately, at a time when the banks refuse or do not do it quickly enough.
Olivier Tousseri in an article he published in the French newspaper “Les Echos” had warned that ‘to save business’, the mafia in Italy had become the first bank today which gives them an excellent opportunity for control.
The immediate availability of huge funds is a temptation for companies facing difficulties, at a time when the bureaucratic banking system is slow and extremely careful in granting loans to its customers.
This situation represents a good opportunity, according to the newspaper, for criminal organizations to infiltrate new sectors of the economy, or strengthen their grip on many small and medium-sized enterprises already heavily in debt.
In general, these avid lenders apply for loans with an interest rate of at least 10% per month, and they ask for repayment of double the amount expected in one year so that the annual loan rate is around 100 billion euros. These exorbitant sums represent the equivalent of 7% of Italy’s gross domestic product.
On this basis, the newspaper estimates that around one-fifth of Italian businessmen will be victims of extortion, fraud, and loan sharking, which are on average twice the rate applied by banks.
According to a report published by the Italian Institute for Political, Economic and Social Studies (Orispes) and quoted by the newspaper, it is noted that during the crisis of 2008, a dozen companies in the agricultural sector, trade, and services preferred to turn to unscrupulous sharks rather than reluctant bankers.
The Italian consortium and the Ministry of the Interior claimed that two months of quarantine would have increased erosion by a rate comparable to that between 2008 and 2013 by 30%.
The ministry, as well as governors and judges, said that the mafia is exploiting the economic difficulties facing the country and calls for more precise monitoring of financial flows, increased controls and the creation of a “red code” to signal the suspicious transactions faster and more efficiently.
The various companies representing traders and small and medium-sized enterprises believe that it is urgent – to fight against usury – to obtain immediate liquidity thanks to the aid promised by the government and bank loans to guarantee the State, because the risk is that the money does not arrive until very late and that companies benefit from it.
Author Roberto Saviano explains that the mafia has put business loans in its strategy and that it gives money immediately, and sometimes cancels or sometimes reduces interest on the loan, even if the debtor company goes beyond the critical stage, it will not be able to reject any request.
The paper recalls that the mafia was initially reluctant to lend money, but the crises of the past few decades have given it a quick and efficient means of serving its interests.
