Rome, June 16 (RHC)-- Italian tax authorities have announced the seizure of 16 million euros in assets held by one of the top suspects in a major corruption probe in the capital Rome.

The key suspect, identified as former convict Salvatore Buzzi who ran a public service cooperative, was originally arrested in December and stands accused of acting as a co-leader of a Mafia-style business that engaged in bribing dozens of local politicians and officials, DPA reported on Monday.

Italian law enforcement agency Guardia di Finanza announced on Monday that Buzzi and his partners were stripped of shares they controlled in Sarim Immobiliare, a real estate business that owned and operated a reception center for women, minors, refugees and asylum seekers.

The so-called Mafia Capitale investigation has so far led to the arrest and imprisonment of more than 80 individuals since December. An even larger number have also been placed under house arrest or probe, including the former mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno.

The capital city's current Mayor Ignazio Marino, however, is resisting calls to step down over the scandal, which has reverberated across the nation and implicated several members of the ruling Democratic Party. This is while Italy's Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has so far defended Marino, who is a transplant surgeon.