"I don't have to pay him, he is the one who should pay with jail for what he has done," the 23-year-old Afghan, called Alì, who survived the shipwreck off Steccato di Cutro on February 26 this year, told police and finance police.

The young man has identified a Syrian national, Mohamed Abdessalem, as one of the smugglers. Judicial authorities have issued a pre-trial detention order against the Syrian citizen, who was already in prison.

Alì also provided useful information for investigators regarding the system organizing migrant journeys and the unscrupulous people behind the trafficking network. At least 94 people died in the shipwreck, including 35 minors, while 79 survived the incident.

Agreement before departure

Alì said he reached Turkey with his entire family three months before boarding the Italy-bound boat that ran aground and broke up in stormy seas a short distance from the coast of Calabria.Only five of his 21 relatives on the vessel survived.

Yet despite the horrible tragedy, the trafficker who allegedly organized the journey, Saiz R, asked him for the money that Alì's uncle had agreed to pay prior to the crossing.

Also read: Investigation shows Frontex involved in alleged Cutro shipwreck cover up

Alì refused to pay, saying his family had sold everything, including a home and land, to pay for the trip. The young man explained to police and finance police investigators the various details of the deal with traffickers.

"My uncle met in Istanbul with Saiz R, agreeing to pay him €118,000 in exchange for the transportation of the whole family of 21 people," Alì told investigators. "My uncle, Mohammad Anwar, had agreed that we would pay the entire sum to Said R once we reached Italy," the youth explained.

'The trafficker destroyed my life, he should pay with jail'

One week after the shipwreck, Alì contacted the trafficker to tell him that he would not pay the agreed sum due to the dramatic outcome of the trip. "My uncle died in the shipwreck, together with 15 out of the 21 family members on board," the young man continued.

"This is how I told Said R, with a WhatsApp message, that I had no intention of paying the rest of the sum agreed." He added that he also asked Saiz R to give him back the sum that had been deposited by his family in an agency in Iran.

The trafficker responded saying that he had no intention of freeing the five survivors of the obligation to pay for the trip, Alì said. "He claimed that survivors needed to pay him 40,000 euros, or 8,000 euros each and at that point my refusal was clear and unconditional," he added.

Speaking to police, Alì unleashed all his pain and rage for the tragedy he experienced. "I have no intention of paying anything", he stressed. "Most of our family is no longer here due to this immense tragedy. And the responsibility of what happened belongs to Said R, who was one of the trip's organizers," he said.

"He destroyed my life. I lost, among others, my fiancée, and her body was never found. Saiz R must thus pay for his sins with jail. I hope that, even though he is in Turkey, he will be arrested as soon as possible and closed in a cell, although I doubt this will ever happen," he concluded.