A week ago, there were rumblings that an influencer used as an “advisor” to the culture secretary was party to emails for which she did not have security clearance. Culture Minister Sangiuliano responded to the noise with a letter in today’s La Stampa on the ‘Boccia case’.
The row over an influencer and her controversial role as an advisor to the Culture Minister continued on Tuesday.
On Monday, opposition parties in Italy demanded clarity from the government about reports that Maria Rosaria Boccia, allegedly without security clearance, was involved in email exchanges containing sensitive information about the upcoming G7 Culture meeting.
“Is the Culture G7 still safe?” asked Irene Manzi, head of the Democratic Party (PD) delegation on the Lower House’s culture committee. She urged the foreign and interior ministries to investigate. The Prime Minister then stepped in to support the Culture Minister. Sangiuliano’s letter to La Stampa followed, and subsequently Boccia’s rebuttals.
Sangiuliano’s Version of Events
Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano spoke publicly for the first time on the Boccia case after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni intervened to support him. Sangiuliano expressed his position through a letter to *La Stampa*, published on the night of September 3. He addressed the editor, Andrea Malaguti, to “shed light” on the matter and provide his version of the facts.
“I met Dr. Boccia in mid-May during the campaign for the European elections,” Sangiuliano began, “not in the 2022 election campaign, in which I did not participate as I was the director of TG2 at the time. We found we had similar views.” He continued, “I then decided to offer Dr. Boccia the unpaid position of advisor to the minister for major events. During this period, I observed her professional and organisational skills through her participation in public initiatives.”
“After the initial phase, considering concerns raised by the Cabinet over potential conflicts of interest, I chose not to proceed with the appointment and formally communicated this decision,” the minister explained. “This is not the first time that the Ministry of Culture, like other institutions, has refrained from making planned appointments. Dr. Boccia’s qualifications are not in question; they have always been valid.”
Sangiuliano added, “Dr. Boccia has never participated in administrative proceedings. It is crucial to stress that not a euro from the ministry, even for a coffee, was spent on Dr. Boccia’s travel or stays. I find it necessary to clarify some points regarding the G7 Culture meeting.”
Boccia’s Response
Maria Rosaria Boccia challenged the government’s version of events regarding her appointment as an advisor to Minister Sangiuliano for major events.
“Are we sure there wasn’t an appointment?” Boccia wrote on Instagram. She also contested Sangiuliano’s claim that the culture ministry did not pay her any money as an advisor.
“Never spent a euro of the ministry? I never paid for anything. I was always told the ministry reimbursed advisors’ expenses,” Boccia told La Stampa. “All trips were always organised by the minister’s chief of staff,” she added.
Boccia also disputed claims that she had never participated in operational meetings on the G7 culture meeting in Pompeii, scheduled for September 19-21.
“So we never held operational meetings? Inspections? We never exchanged information?” Boccia asked.
Boccia’s Instagram story rebutting Sangiuliano’s claims.
