Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, stated Friday the government felt no embarrassment amidst opposition demands for Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè to resign.
This call came after a Milan prosecutor sought her trial for purported fraud involving COVID redundancy funds from the INPS social security agency, linked to her former Visibilia publishing empire.
Tajani dismissed the opposition’s frequent calls for resignations. He said everyone should wait for the decision regarding Santanchè’s indictment. He underscored the principle of presumption of innocence, comparing Santanchè’s situation to that of Bari’s centre-left Mayor Antonio Decaro.
“The oppositions ask for resignations every two minutes,” said Tajani.
“There is a request (for indictment), and when there is a decision we’ll talk about it,” he said. “It doesn’t create any embarrassment for the government.
“I’m a supporter of the presumption of innocence, just like I was with (Bari’s centre-left Mayor Antonio) Decaro, and I don’t go and batten onto people”.
Santanchè, a prominent figure in Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, pledged to step down if indicted. She subsequently survived a previous no-confidence vote. Nevertheless, this development, according to Tajani, does not pose a challenge for the government.
In response, Elly Schlein, leader of the centre-left Democratic Party (PD), urged Prime Minister Meloni to demand Santanchè’s resignation following the prosecutor’s request for trial. Schlein emphasised the importance of upholding institutional integrity and expressed disappointment in the government’s handling of the matter.
Santanchè’s spokesman, Salvatore Tramontano, criticised Schlein’s remarks, arguing that she misinterpreted the situation by implying Santanchè’s indictment when only a request for indictment had been issued.
