Overview
- A 52-year-old wine sales agent has accused Senator Francesco Silvestro of forcing a sexual act in his Senate office during a commercial meeting on 25 February 2025, according to her account published by Repubblica and other outlets.
- The Rome prosecutor opened a file on Monday and registered Silvestro and a carabiniere identified in reporting as Antonio P. as indagati, a step taken to secure investigatory rights while preserving the presumption of innocence.
- Silvestro denies the substance of the accusation, suggested the claim could be an attempt at extortion in earlier remarks, and later issued an apology for language used in an interview that many politicians called dismissive and insulting.
- Senate President Ignazio La Russa has asked the senatorial Questori to conduct internal accertamenti and will meet them to determine whether to refer the matter to the Council of Presidency for possible sanctions under Senate rules.
- The complainant says she delayed filing the complaint for more than a year because of trauma and therapy and alleges an intermediary carabiniere with family ties to the senator tried to intimidate her, a claim that shapes both evidentiary questions and political fallout.