Thai court orders extradition of Italian mafia boss

BANGKOK, Dec 20, 2012 (AFP) - A Thai court on Thursday ordered the extradition of an alleged mafia boss wanted in Italy.

Vito Roberto Palazzolo is accused of being a leading member of the Cosa Nostra Sicilian mafia. He was arrested in Thailand in March.

"The court ruled that Palazzolo should be extradited," an official at the Bangkok Criminal Court told AFP. "The judge ruled his case was not political as it's organised crime and money laundering," she said.

Under Thai law, Palazzolo is entitled to file an appeal within 30 days.

He was sentenced in absentia by an Italian court in 2009 to nine years in jail for association with the mafia, and had been living in South Africa under the name Robert von Palace Kolbatschenko before travelling to Thailand.

In South Africa -- which declined to extradite him -- Palazzolo was seen as a major businessman with interests in mineral water, security and ostrich farming.

-- (c) Copyright AFP 2012-12-20

Thai court rules to extradite Italian mafia convict

A Thai court on Thursday ruled to extradite Vito Roberto Palazzolo, who faces jail in his native Italy on charges of associating with the Sicilian mafia.

The Bangkok Criminal Court ruled in favour of extradition on the grounds that Palazzolo’s sentence is on criminal charges, not political ones.

"I will appeal the ruling," Palazzolo, 65, told his lawyer at the hearing. The lawyer confirmed to dpa that there would an appeal before the extradition goes ahead.

Palazzolo, who claims to be a South African national and goes by the name Robert von Palace Kolbatschenko, was arrested in Bangkok on March 30, after leaving South Africa following persistent demands from Rome for his extradition.

In 2009 the Supreme Court of Cassation, Italy’s highest, upheld his conviction by a Palermo court and sentenced him in absentia to nine years in jail for associating with the Sicilian mafia.

During his 2006 trial, Palermo prosecutors said Palazzolo played a key role between business and the mafia, news reports said.

-- The Nation 2012-12-20

Money laundering.. I wonder if he will open a few accounts when he gets back for some favours ??

Sounds like he was going pretty good in South Africa. Why would he leave and go to Thailand?

Sounds like he was going pretty good in South Africa. Why would he leave and go to Thailand?

As the article says, SA was coming under increasing pressure to extradite him, which they were not willing to do. So they may have asked him to go elsewhere and he ends up here.

Perhaps the South Africans made him an offer he could not refuse?

There are so many of these types here now, that I`m surprised Immigration don`t issue a non immigrant mafia visa for those wishing to bring gangster money into the country.

Perhaps the South Africans made him an offer he could not refuse?

There are so many of these types here now, that I`m surprised Immigration don`t issue a non immigrant mafia visa for those wishing to bring gangster money into the country.

Maybe 'they' encourage these type of Mafioso to come to Thailand; just so 'they' can learn from them . . . . duuh ! ! ? ? ! !

Should have gone to Montenegro.

I await seeing him on channel 11 introducing an international bocce match with a nice little speech about the international conspiracy against him. May not happen, I think that's only for Thai criminals.

south Africa told him there was more corruption here and the courts could be paid off