Amedeo Matacena

Amedeo Matacena (15 September 1963 – 16 September 2022) was an Italian politician. Born in Catania, Sicily, into a family of shipowners with Calabrian ancestry, he was the owner of a maritime company, among the others family companies he inherited from his father. Active in politics since the 1980s with the Italian Liberal Party, Matacena served as a Forza Italia member of the Chamber of Deputies from 1994 to 2001; he was elected through the constituency of Reggio Calabria, the city he became most associated with, and was known as "The King of the Strait". During his life and career, Matacena underwent several trials and investigations, which ended his political career. His conviction for external complicity in mafia association was confirmed by Italy's Supreme Court of Cassation in 2013. Since then, Matacena had been a fugitive, and lived in Dubai until his death.