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Giorgia Meloni has suffered her first cabinet resignation after Italy’s culture minister stepped down over allegations he nominated his mistress as an unpaid adviser and used public funds to cover her travel.
Gennaro Sangiuliano, 62, a longtime ally and close friend of Prime Minister Meloni, on Wednesday tearfully confessed on television to an affair with Maria Rosaria Boccia, 41, who accompanied him at numerous public appearances, including trips to prepare for a G7 meeting.
Despite contradictory claims from his mistress, Sangiuliano denied any financial impropriety, insisting he paid Boccia’s travel expenses himself and eventually decided not to finalise her official role given their “sentimental relationship” may raise questions about a conflict of interest.
Sangiuliano’s departure and the political clamour over his conduct have been highly embarrassing for Meloni, who is eager to present her government as serious and professional in contrast to scandal-ridden administrations of the past. The affair, which has transfixed Italian media, has reinforced widespread public doubts about the competence of the close-knit team around Meloni.
Addressing a gathering of Italian businessmen and foreign dignitaries on Saturday, Meloni insisted the scandal would not undermine her government’s stability. She also lashed out at the Italian press for its coverage of the drama.
“There was a lot of media attention that transformed a private affair into a public matter,” the prime minister said, reiterating that “there was no wrongdoing”.
Meloni also criticised Boccia, who stoked the drama after the affair ended with a stream of social media posts hinting at further compromising information about Sangiuliano. “My idea of how a woman should gain space in society is diametrically opposed to this person,” Meloni said.
Sangiuliano had offered to resign this week over the controversy, but Meloni, known for her loyalty to her longtime friends and political allies, had refused.
Yet the minister’s maudlin, primetime TV appearance — in which he publicly apologised to his wife and Meloni — failed to quell the furore, which has dominated the front pages of Italian newspapers for days.
Boccia, in social media posts and a newspaper interview, has repeatedly claimed the government financed her travels after she was nominated as an unpaid “adviser to the minister for major events”.
Boccia has also claimed to have recordings of private conversations and messages from the minister’s phone, hinting at further revelations to come regarding Sangiuliano and his dealings in the government.
On her social media feed, she has shared some videos secretly recorded with camera glasses inside parliament, in what has been condemned as a serious security breach.
Angelo Bonelli, leader of the small opposition Green Europe party, filed a formal legal complaint against Sangiuliano earlier this week accusing him of embezzlement and disclosure of confidential information by giving Boccia access to the G7 planning meeting.
In an emotional resignation letter delivered to Meloni’s office on Friday afternoon, Sangiuliano again denied wrongdoing but said he could not allow his ministerial achievements to be tarnished by relentless gossip.
“Not one euro of ministry funds have been spent in improper activities,” he wrote. “I said that and I will prove that in every forum.”
Sangiuliano also said he needed his “hands free to act against those that have caused me this damage”, as he vowed to “get to the bottom” of whether “different interests contributed to this affair”.
In response, Meloni praised her old friend as a “capable person and an honest man” who had done “extraordinary work” to promote Italy’s cultural heritage. She vowed to continue his efforts.
Additional reporting by Giuliana Ricozzi
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