Nicola Testini, a carabinieri officer implicated in the Marazzo case, was put under house arrest yesterday after a judge ruled that there was no evidence that he murdered a Rome drug pusher, reports ANSA.
The pusher, Gianguerino Cafasso, died in September 2009 and allegedly supplied the cocaine which appeared in a video which was allegedly used to blackmail Mr Marrazzo. Mr Marrazzo is a journalist and former Governor of the Lazio Region. He resigned after a scandal regarding his involvement with transsexual prostitutes broke last year. Mr Testini and three other policemen allegedly extorted £74,000 from Mr Marrazzo, although the latter denied having handed over any money.
Forensic scientists have now carried out new tests on Mr Cafasso’s exhumed body and have concluded that he died of a pre-.existing heart condition and not, as was suspected, of a cocktail of drugs. A transsexual prostitute known as Brenda who was implicated in the Marrazzo affair died in a fire at her Rome apartment in November 2009.
Mr Testini remains under arrest for supplying drugs to Mr Cafosso and for his alleged role as the ringleader of three other policemen who apparently tried to blackmail Mr Marrazzo.
