Robert Moracchini, believed to be a founding member of the Corsican criminal gang La Brise de mer, was shot dead on a street in Bastia, close to the police station.

A 65-year-old man met a tragic end on Saturday, March 29, after being struck by multiple gunshots in the vicinity of the Bastia police station, as reported by France 3 Corse and Corse-Matin, with confirmation later provided by the prosecutor’s office.

The individual in question is Robert Moracchini, a figure familiar to law enforcement and judicial authorities, identified as one of the founding members of the criminal organisation La Brise de mer.

“The victim, Mr. Robert Moracchini, familiar to the judicial authorities, succumbed to gunshot wounds,” stated the public prosecutor of Bastia, Jean-Philippe Navarre, who was present at the scene.

A murder investigation has been launched, focussing on an organised gang and potential criminal conspiracy. The enquiries have been assigned to the interdepartmental directorate of the national police in Haute-Corse. As reported by France 3 Corse, the individual in question is currently evading capture.

In August 2012, over a decade ago, the tragic deaths of Francis Mariani, Richard Casanova, Pierre-Marie Santucci, and Francis Guazzelli, all due to unnatural causes, were followed by the shooting of Maurice Costa, yet another founding member of the La Brise de mer gang.

During its peak in the 1980s and 1990s, La Brise de Mer—named after a pub in Bastia’s old port where its members frequently convened—executed numerous armed robberies targeting banks across France and Switzerland. Their members also exercised joint control over nightclubs and illicit gambling activities both on the island and across the mainland, notably in the Aix-en-Provence area.

However, towards the close of 2006, the gang started to disintegrate, following the tragic and unforeseen death of Jean-Jérôme Colonna, regarded as the “godfather” of the southern region of the island, who experienced a heart attack while navigating the roads of South Corsica.

His abrupt vanishing had stirred a sense of envy, especially among the ranks of La Brise, leading to a confrontation between two of its founding figures, Richard Casanova and Francis Mariani. A tragic internal conflict that ravaged the organisation, marked by a succession of murders, including the assassination of Mr. Casanova in April 2008, followed by the mysterious disappearance of Mr. Mariani in January 2009.

In May 1985, Robert Moracchini, accompanied by Georges Seatelli and Pierre-Marie Santucci, stood trial at the Côte-d’Or Assize Court in Dijon for the murder of nightclub manager Daniel Ziglioli, which had occurred in September 1982 in Haute-Corse. The trial, which has captured significant public attention, was relocated to mitigate any potential influence on the jurors. The three gentlemen were found not guilty.

In 1987, Robert Moracchini received a sentence of twenty months in prison, with twelve months suspended, due to the misuse of corporate assets. For many years, he operated a shop in Bastia, notably managing a tobacco shop and a café. Remarkably, he ascended Everest in May 2023, at the age of 63.

The killing of Robert Moracchini marks the fifth homicide recorded in Corsica since the year commenced. A sixth homicide occurred in Borgo (Haute-Corse) at the start of February, albeit within a familial setting. In 2024, Corsica has recorded “eighteen homicides and sixteen attempted homicides” among its 355,000 residents – a figure comparable to that of Nice. The Prefect of Corsica, Jérôme Filippini, has recently emphasised that the island is “at the national forefront in this area.”