Traitor Arte: Who is Tomaso Busqueta, the man who defeated the Mafia?

Tommaso Buscetta (pronounced “Boucheta”), also called Don Masino, is a fascinating character who has forever marked the history of the fight against the Mafia. It’s his journey narrated in The Traitor, in Marco Bellocchio’s excellent feature film released in 2019 and which the channel Arte is broadcasting tonight.

Born in Palermo in 1921, Tomaso is the youngest in a poor family with 17 children. Married very young, Busqueta already has two sons, only 16 years old. He began his career in the criminal field in 1945. He quickly showed his skills and quickly progressed to Cosa Nostra, in the hierarchy of the Sicilian mafia. Man is intelligent, charming, efficient and endowed with natural authority.

Tomazo is a Cossa Nostra, but also a loyal mobster of his personal principles who is not afraid to challenge authority, in which he also refuses to participate. From the late 1970s to the early 1980s, he had to climb Corleone, led by the ruthless Toto Reina.

This new little group is ruthless and ignores the fundamental principles of Cosa Nostra: they kill women, children, and avoid any obstacles in their path. Tomaso Busqueta can no longer find his place. The perpetrator then fled to Brazil. On the spot, the Brazilian justice system arrested him very quickly and then arrested him in Italy.

In 1980, he managed to escape and returned to Brazil to escape the Mafia war. In 1982, when he remarried Cristina, a young Brazilian man with whom he has 2 young children, Busqueta was again arrested by Brazilian police.

Tired of executing relatives and especially the brutal murder of his two eldest sons, he tries to commit suicide by poisoning himself. A narrow survivor, he was extradited to Italy. After returning to his homeland, Tomaso will make a decision that will change his and the Mafia’s lives. He will meet with Judge Falcon and co-operate with the judiciary.

The information provided by Busqueta to the Italian authorities is the most important that has ever been provided. For the first time it is possible to breed Cosa Nostra. 475 people are detained, the first “Palermo Max-Trial” is held. Busqueta is the main witness. Going up to the bar he takes a big risk and takes the whole of Cosa Nostra away.

Despite the threat, the mobster maintains his behavior: In the past, Cosa Nostra had nothing to do with the depraved unit of today. I decided to cooperate with the state so that others would not believe in the dignity and honor of Cosa Nostra. These values ​​are buried. “Under the Mountain of Innocent Victims.” The criminal organization killed his two children, family members, friends. He does not know it yet, but with the betrayal of the Mafia, Busqueta will deal a devastating blow to Cosa Nostra.

360 people will be punished at the end of this trial. In 1992, Judge Falcone was assassinated. Busqueta then decides to go further and condemns the links between the Mafia and Italian politicians. Don Massino’s revelations involve such powerful people as Julio Andreotti, the former prime minister who plays Tony Cervilo in the amazing Il Divo movie.

To ensure peace and anonymity, Busquet underwent cosmetic surgery and returned to Brazil and then to the United States, where he ended his life under witness protection. The gangster’s greatest victory, of course, is at its end. He died of cancer in 2000. After a life shaken by murder and revenge, he ended his last days in peace.