Overview
- The Chamber voted in secret on Wednesday, August 5 to deny the Procura di Roma authorization to acquire Andrea Delmastro’s chat messages, approving the majority’s motion by 206–133.
- Prosecutors had sent a CD of messages and a letter saying the chats between Delmastro and restaurateur Mauro Caroccia are indispensable to an inquiry into the Bisteccherie d’Italia and alleged prestanome links to the Senese clan.
- The decision followed weeks of procedural referrals after Chamber president Lorenzo Fontana blocked Giunta members from viewing the CD, the Giunta per il Regolamento remitted the matter back to the Giunta per le Autorizzazioni, and a non-vote by an Azione member helped produce earlier majority outcomes.
- Opposition parties staged protests in the Chamber, accused the majority of shielding a party member and obstructing an anti‑mafia probe, and signaled plans for judicial or constitutional challenges if prosecutors cannot access the material.
- The vote underscores how Article 68 and parliamentary procedures can limit judicial access to MPs’ communications, and it leaves prosecutors to decide whether to seek court review or other legal routes to obtain the chats and continue their investigation.