The Milan Public Prosecutor's Office has concluded an investigation into the business activities of Italy's Minister of Tourism, Daniela Santanchè, exponent of the prime minister's party Giorgia Meloni and which has already survived two motions of no confidence in Parliament.
The investigation targets Santanchè, from the right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI), on suspicion of false accounting during the period in which she was president of the publishing company Visibilia.
According to Milan prosecutors, the minister had “knowingly” included “untrue” data in the balance sheets from 2016 to 2022 to obtain “unfair profits”.
Recently, the Public Ministry had already concluded another investigation against Santanchè, this one for aggravated fraud to the detriment of the National Social Security Institute (INPS).
The suspicion is that Visibilia benefited from a government program to help pay the salaries of employees whose contracts were suspended or reduced during the Covid-19 pandemic, while they continued to work normally.
The minister claims her innocence and has already promised to resign if she is formally denounced, which has not yet happened.
“More discredit and dishonor for institutions. What does Meloni expect to demand Minister Santanchè's resignation? Our country does not deserve to be represented abroad by a person suspected of committing serious crimes”, said deputy Arturo Scotto, from the center-left Democratic Party (PD).
In early April, Santanchè survived a motion of no confidence in the Chamber of Deputies – the second since the outbreak of the Visibilia scandal – by 213 votes to 121, as the Meloni government has a comfortable majority in Parliament. (HANDLE)
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