Francesco “Sandokan” Schiavone: who the now repentant Camorra boss is and what he did

Who is Francesco Schiavone? For those who have not carefully followed the various Camorra wars that have bloodied Naples and the province in recent decades, this question seems legitimate now that "Sandokan" has once again ended up on the pages of all the newspapers.
After 26 years spent in prison – all under the 41 bis regime – even Schavone, one of the last bosses considered irreducible, has decided to repent and collaborate with justice as reported by the newspaper Cronache di Caserta.
The news of Sandokan's repentance was also confirmed by the National Anti-Mafia Directorate.
Francesco Schiavone has been the undisputed leader of the Casalesi since the early 1990s, one of the most powerful and ferocious Camorra clans.
From what has transpired so far, Schiavone – who has been suffering from cancer for some years – would have decided to collaborate with justice in recent weeks, but the news of his repentance was only made known in the last few hours.
This is a real twist, given that the collaboration between Schiavone and the DNA and DDA of Naples could lead to shedding full light on the actions of the Casalesi and on the relationships between the powerful clan and the various apparatuses of civil society.
read also Who is the new mafia boss after the death of Matteo Messina Denaro? Francesco Schiavone: biography and what he did Francesco Schiavone was born on 3 March 1954 in Casal di Principe, a municipality of just over 20,000 souls in the province of Caserta which became famous in Italy for being the fortress of the Casalesi Camorra clan.
Sandokan's first arrest occurred when he was just eighteen, a sign of how his criminal career within the clan began very early.
He then entered under the protective wing of Antonio Bradellino, the founder and historic leader of the Casalesi.
These were the years of the war between the New Family of Antonio Bradellino and Mario and Iovine and the New Camorra Organized by Raffaele Cutolo.
A long series of deaths that have bloodied Campania for years.
In the end the war was won by Bardellino and Iovine, but when a feud began between the two bosses culminating in the death of the former, the figure of Schiavone emerged and in 1989 he was arrested in France for the second time: in 1990, however, he was released from prison for deadline expired and so he was released.
Francesco Schiavone was now the leader of the Casalesi especially after the killing of Mario Iovine, but a severe blow to the clan came from the collaboration with the justice system of Carmine Schiavone, Sandokan's cousin.
The boss was arrested right in Casal di Principe in a bunker in 1998 and was immediately placed in the hard prison regime of 41 bis.
He was then sentenced to life imprisonment and until a few weeks ago he had never regretted it.
His wife Giuseppina Nappa was arrested in 2010 and then immediately released.
Over the years, his sons Walter, Nicola, Ivanhoe, Emanuele and Carmine were arrested, all accused of having continued to manage the clan after their father's arrest.
Francesco Schiavone has been suffering from cancer since 2018, while in 2021 his son Walter became a collaborator with justice while previously it was his brother Nicola who repented: now the father has also decided to collaborate after he was transferred to the L'Aquila prison for take better care just like what happened to Matteo Messina Denaro.