MADRID -- Italian Mafia godfather Giovanni Greco surrendered to the Spanish authorities on Tuesday after nearly two years on the run, Europa Press Agency quoted Spanish police as saying.

Greco, who had been living on bail in Palma on the Spanish Island of Majorca since 1997, went into hiding in August 2000 after learning that the Spanish government had authorized his extradition to Italy.

Greco had been sentenced in his absence by an Italian court to 27 years in jail for associating with the Mafia and attempted murder, Europa press said. Rome wanted him brought back to serve his sentence.

While he was on the run another Italian court acquitted him in absentia for the two 1983 murders for which he had been convicted, said Europa Press.

Greco's lawyer, Jose-Luis Arribas, had said in August 2000 that his client would only reappear once he had been acquitted of the two murders. Spain's decision to extradite him had been based solely on the murder charges and was not related to the other offences for which he had been convicted.

According to Europa Press, Greco belonged in the 1980s to a mafia gang opposed to Mafia boss "Toto" Rina, who was arrested in 1993 after 23 years in the run and found guilty of 150 murders. Rina's camp threatened to kill him and both his father and father-in-law were shot dead.