Maxi Trial

The Maxi Trial was a criminal trial that took place in Sicily during the mid-1980s that saw hundreds of defendents on trial for a multitude of crimes relating to Mafia activities.

The Verdicts

The trial ended on December 16 1987, almost two-years after it commenced.

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December 16 - 1987

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Of the 474 defendants - both those present and those tried in absentia - 360 were convicted. They included Michele Greco, as well as the fugitives Salvatore Riina and Bernardo Provenzano. 2,665-years of prison sentences were shared out between the guilty.

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114 were acquitted, including Luciano Leggio, who had been charged with helping to run the Corleonisi Mafia Family from behind bars. The judge decided there was not enough evidence. It made little difference to Leggio's position though; he was already serving life imprisonment for murder and remained behind bars until his death six-years later.

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The significant number of acquittals did manage to silence some of the critics who had believed that it was a show trial whereby nearly everyone would be convicted.

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Of those who were acquitted, eighteen were later murdered by the Mafia, including one, Antoninio Ciulla, who was shot dead within an hour of being released as he drove home for a celebratory party.

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