Entrepreneur’s decision to speak out after he was refused discount on ‘protection money’ has led to four arrests

An Italian businessman in Corleone, the Sicilian town that inspired the creation of fiction’s most famous godfather, has blown the whistle on alleged mafia extortionists, breaking decades of silence – or omertà – that protected the mob.

The entrepreneur’s decision to speak out has led to four arrests, according to Italian media reports, including that of a mafia boss whose demands had long terrorised local businesses in Palermo.

“Every month I was forced to pay protection money, almost €500,” the businessman told police, according to a report in La Repubblica. “In the end, I had to shut down one of my businesses when I couldn’t pay.”

It was a bleak reminder of the relentless pressure businesses still face under the Sicilian mafia, known as the Cosa Nostra, which investigators say is as hungry as ever for cash, in part to support the families of mafia bosses who are already in prison.

The man who decided to denounce the mafia had sought to open a business a few months ago, investigators said. When he approached the local mafia boss to discuss the payment of “protection money”, he sought a discount, which was roundly refused by the mafia boss, according to reports.

Then, following a police raid in Corleone in September that led to one arrest, the businessman came forward and told his story. “The wall of the omertà is coming down even in this part of Sicily,” said police chief Pierluigi Solazzo.

The act of rebellion was seen as one of the most significant breakthroughs since the arrest more than 20 years ago of Toto Riina, the Corleone-born mafia leader who was known as The Beast. He is serving multiple life sentences after being found guilty of several murders.

The shadow of Italian organised crime hangs over ordinary Italians, and not just in Siciliy and Naples. Over the last few months newspapers have been full of stories about elaborate corruption schemes involving public services in Rome, which has been dubbed “mafia capitale”. The scandal has ensnared dozens of politicians in the city.

Italy is considered one of the most corrupt countries in Europe, on par with Romania, Greece and Bulgaria, according to Transparency International, which ranks countries on perceived levels of corruption. It is a problem that Matteo Renzi, the prime minister, has vowed to tackle, proposing to lengthen the jail sentences for corruption and extend the statute of limitations for corruption charges.