The Crime Book

241

See also: Bernie Madoff 116–17 ■ The Sicilian Mafia 138–45 ■ The Beer Wars

152–53 ■ The Assassination of Rasputin 312–15

I

n 1975, Roberto Calvi became

the chairman of the Banco

Ambrosiano, a Catholic bank

founded 75 years earlier to serve

moral and religious organizations.

Its main shareholder was the

Vatican Bank. This connection led

Calvi to be called “God’s Banker”;

however, his actions as the bank’s

chairman were decidedly not holy.

Calvi made a number of shady

moves: siphoning money to fund

political parties; securing a

controlling interest in the Banco

Cattolica del Veneto; and creating

offshore enterprises. He transferred

billions out of Italy, inflated the

prices of shares, and took out a

fortune in unsecured loans. In 1978,

his activities came to the attention

of the Bank of Italy, who began to

investigate him.

Calvi was convicted, given a

four-year suspended sentence, and

released on bail. Close to $1 billion

(£1.6 billion) in debt, the bank owed

a huge sum to the Sicilian Mafia.

The Banco Ambrosiano collapsed

in June 1982, and that month, Calvi

disappeared from his flat in Rome.

His body was found eight days

later, hanging from scaffolding

under London’s Blackfriars Bridge.

The banker had belonged to the

P2 Freemasons, frati neri (black

friars), and the name of the bridge

did not escape notice. Initially ruled

a suicide, prosecutors came to

believe that the Mafia had killed

Calvi to stop him revealing details

of their dealings – or those of

freemasons, politicians, and other

powerful groups. Five suspects

were charged in 2005, but were

acquitted due to lack of evidence. ■

MURDER CASES

WHO HAS SENT YOU

AGAINST ME? WHO

HAS TOLD YOU TO

DO THIS THING?

THE MURDER OF ROBERTO CALVI, 17 JUNE 1982

IN CONTEXT

LOCATION

London, England

THEME

Mafia hit

BEFORE

1957 In New York, Albert

“The Mad Hatter” Anastasia

is murdered in his barber’s

chair on the orders of mobster

“Don Vito” Genovese.

1980 Philadelphia crime boss

Angelo Bruno is murdered and

stuffed with dollar bills on the

orders of his own consigliere,

Antonio Caponigro, following a

dispute about the meth trade.

AFTER

1986 Chicago Outfit boss

Rocco Infelice orders the

murder of Anthony Spilotro,

who runs the Outfit’s business

in Las Vegas, and his brother.

1990 Lucchese family member

Anthony DiLapi moves to

California to escape the mob,

but is found and gunned down

on Anthony Casso’s orders.

There was the Vatican, the

Mafia, Freemasons, and

politicians. This trial is... just

a part of all of these stories.

Luca Tescaroli

240-241_Mark_Chapman_Roberto_Calvi.indd 241 02/12/2016 15:04