Enzo Tortora; TV Personality Who Was Convicted, Cleared

Enzo Tortora, 59, a popular Italian TV personality who was convicted but later cleared of drug trafficking and organized crime charges. Tortora was host of a weekly TV variety show “Portobello,” which attracted an audience of 25 million. But in March, 1983, he was arrested after a criminal who turned state’s witness accused him of associating with the Camorra--the Neapolitan version of the Mafia--in cocaine trafficking. Tortora was convicted in 1985 and sentenced to 10 years in prison. The conviction was overturned the next year on appeal and his innocence upheld in 1987 by the nation’s highest court after he had been in and out of jail over a period of 1,186 days. Tortora’s case raised ethical questions about the use of suspects-turned-witnesses in Mafia-type cases. Last November the Italian electorate voted overwhelmingly to make judges more accountable and Tortora last month had filed a 100-billion-lire ($80-million) suit, which is pending. In Milan on Wednesday of lung cancer.