By Silvia Ognibene and Emilio Parodi

PRATO, Italy, Dec 11 (Reuters) – A landmark trial in Italy of Chinese crime gangs has suffered so many mishaps – from the disappearance of documents to the resignation of interpreters – that a senior prosecutor suspects it’s being sabotaged to protect the criminals’ grip on Europe’s fashion industry.

The case, launched after two Chinese men were hacked to death with machetes in 2010, is aimed at dismantling an illicit network accused of controlling the logistics of the continent’s multi-billion-euro garments sector from the city of Prato in Tuscany.

Instead, it has become a cautionary tale about the obstacles Italy’s justice system faces when confronting international organised crime without the tools it has used effectively to fight home-grown mafia

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