The sister-in-law of the head of the Sicilian Capriati clan has not contested a European Arrest Warrant issued in her regard, after she was hauled to court in Malta this morning.

Mariella Franchini, 57, from Bari, residing in Msida, is the subject of a European Arrest Warrant issued by magistrate Dr Giovanni Anglana of the Bari Tribunal. She is wanted to answer charges in Italy of having played a role in laundering some €650 million for the mafia.

She was arrested after a Schengen Information System alert was issued and she was traced to Malta.

Inspector Mark Galea told the court that the police had been informed of the woman’s presence by the Italian authorities as part of an Italian investigation into money laundering for organised crime and the mafia. The Maltese authorities were cooperating with their Italian counterparts, he said.

Assisted by legal aid lawyer Marita Pace Dimech, she consented to her extradition to face proceedings in Italy.

Italian newspaper la Repubblica reports that the arrest comes after Italian authorities cracked down on a mafia-linked online gambling network.

The main company involved is Centurionbet Ltd, tied to the Martiradonna family, which the Italian press said “operated a pyramidal structure and a series of computer platforms that collected bets mainly in Italy. At the top of the organization there would be Vito Martiradonna, and then a network of children, brothers, cousins, even the ‘aunt’ Mariella Franchini (sister-in-law of clan leader Vitin), who acted as accountants, agents and mediators.”