Updated 4.01pm

The son-in-law of late Sicilian mafia boss Totò Riina has been arrested in Malta and has consented to his extradition to Italy.

Antonino Ciavarello was arrested in Mosta early on Thursday morning, a day after his 50th birthday, on the strength of a European Arrest Warrant issued in Italy.

The police said in a statement the Italian authorities issued the warrant on January 24, 2022. 

The 50-year-old is wanted by the Brindisi Public Prosecutor's Office to serve a prison sentence after having been convicted of fraud and breach of police bail.

'The beast'

Ciavarallo is married to the daughter of Salvatore “Totò” Riina, a notorious Sicilian mafia boss, who led the Corleonesi clan immortalised in the Godfather films.

Nicknamed the 'beast' because of his cruelty and known as 'the boss of bosses' of the mafia, he targeted his crimial rivals in the 1980s and 90s as well as journalists, prosecutors and judges who got in his way. 

One of Italy's most feared mobsters, he died in a prison hospital bed in 2017 while serving 26 life sentences and was believed to have ordered the killing of more than 150 men.

His most famous victim was Giovanni Falcone, an anti-mafia judge murdered in a car bomb in 1992. 

Mafia boss Salvatore "Toto" Riina during his trial in 1993. Photo: AFP

Palermo-born Ciavarello was taken to court on Thursday afternoon and immediately consented to his extradition.

Assisted by an interpreter and seated throughout the hearing after complaining of leg pains, he said that he worked as a driver with a local company.

His legal aid lawyer explained that the accused was aware of the sentences in his regard but did not know that they were effective. He never had any issues with police or authorities in Malta and had only once landed a fine.

Magistrate Giannella Camilleri Busuttil confirmed with the prosecution that the man had no pending judicial proceedings in Malta and upon his consent, remitted him into custody pending his extradition.

Prosecuting inspector Roderick Spiteri presented documentation including correspondence with Italian counterparts confirming that the wanted man’s fingerprints matched those of the person arrested today.

The forensic laboratory had tested Ciavarello's fingerprints after his arrest. Lawyer Thomas Barbara Sant was legal aid counsel.