Dwalin... I understand how corrupt Italian govt is, you're right. And also you're right, the same rules don't always seem to apply to the big mafia businessmen. But take someone like Messina-Denaro, who's niece got married last week. It was full of un-invited guests. He is not considered a high mafia businessman? His mother's house is constantly being watched. I have been to too many weddings and affairs to count where they are there watching who's doing what and to see if a certain person who they are looking for, pops up. I have family members who's houses are always being invaded just because they want to see if they are in contact with a certain someone.
There is NO need for a warrant to come and throw your house upside down and rummage thru your things. There is NO need for tons of paperwork for them to put a tap on your phone, all because of who your family is. I have a relative, brother of a fugitive, who has always tried to do the right thing, and he left his family, even after witnessing his father's head being blown off with a rifle. They arrested him anyway, when he was in his 30's, held him for nearly a year, hoping to get him for something or smoke his brother out of his hole. They finally decided there is nothing to hold him on, at which time they threw $1600 EU at him for lost time. Guilty until proven innocent. You know all this.
Yes, I understand, but Messina Denaro is the last one tied to the big massacres of civilians in Rome, Florence and Milan in the 90s, he's already a wanted man for decades, so they have to maintain a certain appearance of "antimafia work", they arrest his henchmen sometimes and watch his relatives, yet don't arrest him even when they could do it: for example when the carabiniere Saverio Masi once reported of having seen Messina Denaro in a certain location, his superiors closed the operation and didn't make the arrest. When Masi went public with it, he and several others have been indicted for "slandering" the police and carabinieri bosses.
However powerful Matteo Messina Denaro is, he isn't part of that "high mafia" category, he isn't part of that social elite with the white collars who are labeled as "social benefactors" and "political leaders", and that's why he is still on the wanted list.
In my opinion, they use Messina Denaro to blame him for every mafia activity on Sicily and make everybody continue the endless chase after him, so the real today's bosses (not only the rural mafia and the commission, but especially the white collars) can do what they want while unnoticed.
The gerarchical superiority of the mafia politicians over the lower level organized crime is in my opinion clearly shown by the Cosenza 'ndrangheta meeting attended by the former minister Gianni De Michelis. According to one of the present members turned informant, De Michelis openly allowed himself to be disrespectful and threatening towards the bosses by saying that they (the politicians) use the 'ndrangheta bosses when they want, but could conduct their business without them if they really wanted to, and that if the bosses turn informants against the politicians, it will return to them like a boomerang because they will get off the hook and real jail time anyway and will take revenge with heavier prison sentences.
Talking like that to Riina would have been a certain death for him, yet the today's bosses can't even bite back to an arrogant politician. On the other hand, I heard that the Cosenza is the weakest province from the 'ndrangheta point of view, Francesco Muto from Cetraro is the only one to be taken seriously there, as I read, maybe that's why De Michelis allowed himself such a tone.
I may be wrong, but that's how I see it.