Arrested in Catania: the port, the airport and Sigonella
Catania has a busy port and airport, a district anti-mafia office, and a United States naval air station within its judicial district. Cases are heard at the Tribunale di Catania and those held in the district go to Bicocca.
What actually happens here
- Fontanarossa airport and the port: customs, narcotics, and arrests on alerts relating to other countries.
- United States personnel from the naval air station, subject to Italian jurisdiction for offences committed off duty and off base, dealt with in the guide for Sigonella.
- Association charges, with the regime described in the guide on organised crime charges.
- Migration and sea arrivals, which generate proceedings under the provisions dealt with in the guide on immigration offences, including the express exception for rescue.
- The ordinary caseload: nightlife in the centre, theft accusations, drink driving.
For English-speaking residents the naval air station is the dominant factor: a large community, subject to Italian criminal law off base, whose command legal assistance cannot appear before an Italian court.
The Italian clock, in short
For an arrest in Catania, ninety-six hours is the outer limit between the moment of the arrest and the hearing at which a judge examines it. A close relative can appoint the lawyer, and that is what opens access to information. The full sequence is in the guide on the first 96 hours, and what families should do in the guide for families.
Frequently asked questions
Where are people held in Catania?
At the Bicocca institution, after being brought before the prosecutor at the Tribunale di Catania.
I am US Navy personnel based at Sigonella.
Offences committed off duty and off base fall to Italian jurisdiction, and only a lawyer admitted in Italy can appear for you.
What happens with arrivals by sea?
The applicable provisions include an express exception for rescue and humanitarian assistance, which has to be raised with evidence.
Is an association charge handled here?
Yes, by the district anti-mafia office, with a more restrictive precautionary regime and a parallel asset procedure.
If this is happening now
With a name and the place of the arrest in Catania, the search starts immediately. First contact is free and covered by professional privilege, at any hour.