Overview
- Speaking in the Chamber on Thursday, Giorgia Meloni rejected claims of proximity to organized crime and asked the parliamentary Antimafia commission to examine criminal infiltration attempts in all parties, including Fratelli d’Italia.
- The controversy stems from Report publishing a selfie said to be from February 2, 2019 at a Milan FdI event that shows Meloni beside Gioacchino Amico, described in court files as a Lombardy referente for the Senese clan and now a cooperating defendant in Milan’s Hydra trial.
- The Chamber of Deputies issued an official note stating that no permanent parliamentary pass was ever issued in Amico’s name, after reporting cited his claim to investigators that he used a badge to enter Parliament freely.
- Prosecutors have signaled they may order technical checks to verify whether the selfie is authentic or a photomontage, according to multiple reports.
- Opposition lawmakers, especially PD members on the Antimafia commission, said they will seek formal inquiries into links between figures tied to the Senese clan and FdI.