Roberto Lagalla (born 16 April 1955) is an Italian
politician
A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
and
academic
An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...
Bari
Bari ( ; ; ; ) is the capital city of the Metropolitan City of Bari and of the Apulia Regions of Italy, region, on the Adriatic Sea in southern Italy. It is the first most important economic centre of mainland Southern Italy. It is a port and ...
, at the age of two he moved to
Palermo
Palermo ( ; ; , locally also or ) is a city in southern Italy, the capital (political), capital of both the autonomous area, autonomous region of Sicily and the Metropolitan City of Palermo, the city's surrounding metropolitan province. The ...
, where he grew up and in 1979 graduated in Medicine and Surgery at the
University of Palermo
The University of Palermo () is a public university, public research university in Palermo, Italy. It was founded in 1806, and is currently organized in 12 Faculties.
History
The University of Palermo was officially founded in 1806, although it ...
, specializing in diagnostic radiology and oncological radiotherapy. In 1983 he became professor at the University of Palermo in "Diagnostic imaging and radiotherapy". He will later be rector of the same university from 2008 to 2015. In 2006, he was appointed councilor with regional powers for health in the new council led by
Salvatore Cuffaro
Salvatore "Totò" Cuffaro (born 21 February 1958) is a former Italian politician and former President of Sicily. He has served an almost 5-year jail sentence for aiding Cosa Nostra.regional elections in Sicily that year, in the motion of
Nello Musumeci
Sebastiano "Nello" Musumeci (born 21 January 1955) is a right-wing Italian politician. Musumeci is serving as Minister for Civil Protection and Maritime Policies since 22 October 2022 in the government of Giorgia Meloni. He previously served as ...
, being elected in the district of Palermo with 8,158 preferences as deputy to the Sicilian Regional Assembly. From 29 November 2017 to 31 March 2022, when he resigned in order to run as mayor of Palermo, he held the position of councilor with regional powers for education and professional training, and, in the meantime, he joined the Union of the Centre.
Mayor of Palermo
In view of the 2022 local elections, Lagalla officially announces his candidacy for mayor of Palermo, which was supported, following long discussions, by the entire centre-right coalition. He is subsequently elected in the first round with 47.63%.
Controversies
During the electoral campaign for the local elections in Palermo in 2022, some newspapers make public the fact that Lagalla's wife, Maria Paola Ferro, is the niece of Antonio Ferro, prominent boss of the
Agrigento
Agrigento (; or ) is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy and capital of the province of Agrigento.
Founded around 582 BC by Greek colonists from Gela, Agrigento, then known as Akragas, was one of the leading cities during the golden ...
mafia, considered the patriarch of a
Canicattì
Canicattì (; ) is a town and ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Agrigento in the Italian region Sicily, located about southeast of Palermo and about east of Agrigento. In 2024, it had a population of 34,295.
History
The archa ...
clan linked to the
Corleonesi
The Corleonesi Mafia clan was a faction within the Corleone family of the Sicilian Mafia, formed in the 1970s. Notable leaders included Luciano Leggio, Salvatore Riina, Bernardo Provenzano, and Leoluca Bagarella.
Corleonesi affiliates wer ...
. Although Lagalla distanced himself from his wife's family, the spread of this news helped to fuel the controversy according to which he is linked to the mafia world, already fueled by the support given previously to his candidacy by
Salvatore Cuffaro
Salvatore "Totò" Cuffaro (born 21 February 1958) is a former Italian politician and former President of Sicily. He has served an almost 5-year jail sentence for aiding Cosa Nostra.Cosa Nostra
The Sicilian Mafia or Cosa Nostra (, ; "our thing"), also referred to as simply Mafia, is a criminal society and criminal organization originating on the island of Sicily and dates back to the mid-19th century. Emerging as a form of local protect ...
, and Marcello Dell'Utri, sentenced to 7 years of imprisonment for external complicity in mafia association.