Russian Prosecutor General and Italian Anti Mafia National Prosecutor sign Memorandum on cooperation

Russia's Prosecutor General Vladimir Ustinov and Italy's Anti Mafia National Prosecutor Piero Luigi Vigna have signed a Memorandum on cooperation. While opening the meeting with his Italian counterpart Vladimir Ustinov noted that "the Memorandum has laid the foundation for close and constructive cooperation between the two departments in the fight against organized and transnational crime." The Prosecutor General stressed that the signing of the Memorandum enhanced the cooperation between the Russian General Prosecutor Office and the Italian National Department in the anti Mafia fight. Piero Luigi Vigna pointed to the importance of the present-day collaboration between law-enforcement agencies of different countries. He shared the opinion of the Russian counterpart that "the essence of organized crime has recently assumed a transnational scale." According to Vigna, criminals have expanded their activities. Apart from drug trafficking, tobacco smuggling, etc, they are now switching to trade in human organs and illegal use of industrial waste. Italy's National Prosecutor delivered to the Russian counterpart materials about the anti-Mafia fight in Italy and Italian laws on the anti-criminal struggle. Vigna restated his willingness to provide the Russian agencies with any necessary information on the fight against transnational crime. After the Memorandum was signed the two high-ranking officials kept on talking behind closed doors. The heads of other law-enforcement departments are taking part in the meeting.