The key facts
- On October 31 a gathering was held in Rome at which the names of 12 candidates for thief-in-law status were announced, but no decision was made
- A message from Shakro Molodoy and Badri Koguashvili against new 'coronations' led to the procedure being postponed by about a month
- On October 22, for the first time in 12 years, eight people, mostly natives of Georgia, received thief titles in Rome
The gathering in Rome ended without new 'coronations'
The mass conferral of thief-in-law titles planned in Rome has been postponed by about a month. According to the news agency Prime Crime, cited by Lenta.ru, at the gathering on October 31 participants were read the names of 12 candidates for the status of thief in law, most of them natives of Georgia, but no final decision was made. The postponement was caused by a message read out at the meeting from Zakaria Kalashov, known as Shakro Molodoy, and the Moscow criminal authority Badri Koguashvili (Badri the Kutaisi): both, according to the source, spoke against new 'coronations' because of the wide public resonance caused by the previous events in Italy.
The first mass ceremony in 12 years and the conflict around it
The current meeting was a continuation of the events of October 22, when, according to Prime Crime, a mass 'coronation' was held in Rome for the first time in 12 years: eight people, mostly natives of Georgia, received thief titles. That ceremony caused disagreements in the criminal milieu — the agency reported that back in 2013 Shakro Molodoy had spoken against conferring new titles, and the decision to hold the 'coronation' without his consent became the cause of the conflict. Thus, the decision of October 31 in effect means that the second wave of 'coronations', planned immediately after the October ceremony, has been suspended. There is still no independent confirmation of the reports about the recent meetings of criminal authorities.
Shakro Molodoy's position after his release
Earlier, Life.ru reported that after his release from the penal colony Shakro Molodoy switched to a secluded lifestyle. In 2018 Kalashov was sentenced to nine years and ten months in prison in an extortion case, and in March 2024 he was released early. According to media reports, the criminal authority has retained his influence in the criminal milieu and continued to act as a mediator in disputes between groups — the message against new 'coronations' read out at the Rome gathering was another manifestation of this role.
