Nov. 10 (Bloomberg) -- The Sicilian Mafia planned to kidnap Silvio Berlusconi in the 1970s, when Italy’s premier was a real- estate developer in Milan, mob turncoat Gaspare Mutolo told the Italian edition of Vanity Fair.

“Eighteen of us were going to kidnap Berlusconi,” Mutolo said, according to an advance copy of the interview sent by e- mail today. “Then we got the order not to do it.”

After the plan was dropped, Berlusconi hired mobster Vittorio Mangano to live at his villa near Milan and protect him, said Mutolo, the former driver of Cosa Nostra “boss of bosses” Salvatore Riina.

Berlusconi has always denied that he knew Mangano was a member of the Sicilian Mafia. He says he hired Mangano to care for his horses. Mangano was later convicted of being a member of Cosa Nostra, drug trafficking, and two counts of murder. Mangano died of natural causes in 2000.

To contact the reporters on this story: Chiara Remondini in Milan at cremondini@bloomberg.net

Last Updated: November 10, 2009 09:44 EST