Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano admitted on Wednesday night to having a relationship with an alleged advisor, but insisted that he did not pay her or give her access to sensitive information.
Sangiuliano told State broadcaster RAI’s Tg1: “We had a relationship, for this reason too I revoked her appointment as advisor to the culture minister for major events.”
Sangiuliano said he offered his resignation to Premier Giorgia Meloni, but she declined. Influencer Maria Rosaria Boccia, 41, with whom Sangiuliano, 62, admitted to having a relationship, published documents on Instagram on Wednesday. She disputed the government’s claims that she had no undue access to events or security information, and that no public money was spent on her.
Sangiuliano said Boccia’s appointment was never finalised: “We were in a relationship, it was also because of this that I revoked the appointment.” He added that he had offered his resignation to Meloni during a meeting, but she told him to stay in his post.
Resignation rejected
“I am ready to resign immediately if Meloni asks me, but I have reassured her with documental evidence that this is only gossip,” he said. “No euro of Italian public money was spent for Boccia, and no reserved documents ever circulated.”
Meloni asked him to “immediately clarify the point of truth,” Sangiuliano said. “She told me: always be sincere and always tell the truth.” He denied that any classified G7 Culture Summit documents had been leaked, stating: “Absolutely not! Only marginal aspects of the G7 were released, but no classified or reserved document.”
Sangiuliano apologised to his wife, “an exceptional person,” to Meloni for the “embarrassment caused,” and to his staff.
Meanwhile, Democratic Party (PD) lawmakers criticised the interview, calling it a “private use of public service” since opposition voices were excluded. They requested a meeting with RAI’s top editors, stating the “embarrassing story” involving the minister and the G7 remains unclear.
