Around €150 million in assets belonging to Sicilian newspaper editor Mario Ciancio Sanfilippo have been seized by the Sicilian police in connection in an anti-mafia investigation.

Ciancio Sanfilippo is a business owner and editor of the newspaper La Sicilia – a highly popular read in Sicily.

The act of seizure covers bank accounts, insurance policies, 31 businesses, shares in another seven companies and property.

Il Fatto Quotidiano, which said yesterday the move shocked the world of journalism, reported that the seizures of assets was linked to an editorial group owned by Cianco Sanfilippo, including La Sicilia and the majority of shares of another popular newspaper Gazzetta del Mezzogiorno and two regional television stations.

Ciancio Sanfilippo said that throughout the investigation he had always shown that he never had any link to the mafia and that all his businesses were ‘the result of hard work’. He said he was sure his name would be cleared from any accusations.