Alessandro Marciano and his son, Giuseppe, were found guilty of ordering the killing, Salvatore Ritorto was found guilty of being the gunman

Francesco Fortugno, a former doctor, was investigating the awarding of hospital contracts in the Calabrian healthcare system at the time of his murder, which happened on 16 October 2005. In court on Monday, Alessandro Marciano and his son, Giuseppe, were found guilty of ordering the killing, Salvatore Ritorto was found guilty of being the gunman, while Domenico Audino was judged to have been an accomplice. Today many offences are committed in Calabria often go unpunished because people are scared to file a complaint Three other men were given sentences ranging from four to 12 years for offences including mafia association.
"This sentence is important because people in Calabria can conclude there is a genuine will to denounce these crimes," said Agazio Loiero, president of the Calabria region, after the verdict. "Today many offences are committed in Calabria often go unpunished because people are scared to file a complaint," he added.
Giuseppe Lumia, the former head of the Italian parliament's anti-mafia commission and member of Mr Fortugno's Democratic Party, said he hoped the "system of collusion" built by the 'Ndrangheta could finally be uncovered. In 2007, a key informant in the case who helped identify the four convicted men committed suicide.
Despite being given police protection, Bruno Piccolo was said to have been fearful for his life and felt ostracised by the local community.