Lodovico Ligato

Lodovico Ligato (; 15 August 1939 – 27 August 1989) was an Italian Christian Democrat politician from Reggio Calabria and the former head of the Italian State Railways. He was killed by the 'Ndrangheta – the Calabrian equivalent of the Mafia.

Political career Born in Reggio Calabria as the son of a poor railwayman, he began in journalism, joined the Christian Democrat Party and in 1979 was elected to parliament with a large majority. He won with 80,000 votes thanks to the support of the De Stefano 'ndrina. Intelligent, pushy, self-assured and charming, he rose quickly in the ranks of the party. He was re-elected in 1983.

In 1985, thanks to his political connections, he was made head of the state railways. Three years later he was forced by his own party to resign, charged with fraud for vast sums of money spent on throwaway sheets for couchettes, bought by the railways in a crooked contract for 10 times their real value (known as the "lenzuola d'oro" or "golden sheets" scandal). Subsequently, there were other charges of bribery, corruption and embezzlement.

On 27 August 1989 he was killed after he had bid farewell to dinner guests at the gate of his seaside villa at Bocale, near Reggio Calabria.