Roggero, first night in prison: ‘I’ll be focusing on cooking and English’
The jeweller, who was sentenced to 14 years for killing two of his robbers, received a visit from Salvini
Key points
In the fifth ward of the Bollate prison in Milan, the cells are open during the day and Mario Roggero walks around the area with the other prisoners. The jeweller – sentenced to over fourteen years for the murder of two of his robbers and the wounding of a third – he had turned himself in just a few hours earlier when he received his first visitor.
“He’s well and at peace; he’s keen to let his family know that. When we hugged, at the start and at the end, it was a long embrace,” explained the Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini outside the facility, after met the now former shopkeeper, whose legal case has been in the spotlight for days.
According to reports from sources within the prison, shortly after entering the facility, Roggero is said to have broken down in tears – perhaps a cathartic release after so much tension. Other high-profile prisoners are serving their sentences at Bollate: from Alberto Genovese , the entrepreneur behind the ‘Terrazza Sentimento’, to Massimo Bossetti , sentenced to life imprisonment for the murder of Yara Gambirasio.
The Deputy Prime Minister’s visit
“Obviously, it was the first night for a man who has worked for 72 years – a husband, a father and a grandfather to eight grandchildren. It’s not exactly easy, but we spoke for over an hour about everything: what has happened and what we hope will happen between now and the coming months,” the Deputy Prime Minister went on to explain. They discussed books, cooking, learning English – which he has now announced he intends to take up – and the fact that even in a place like this, ‘anyone can get back into the swing of things’.”
The lawyer: no sleepless nights
At the Bollate prison, Roggero was also visited by his lawyer, Stefano Marcolini: ‘He is slowly coming to terms with all the restrictions that come with being in prison. It’s not at all pleasant, but his spirits aren’t low. He hasn’t had any restless nights.’ And, according to his lawyer, one of the things that makes Mario smile the most “is the times for lunch and dinner, because they’re like hospital hours – lunch at 11 and dinner at 5 – and there’s a whole other set of strict rules. Apart from that, he’s settling in.”
