«I spoke with the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, to reiterate the truth of my statements contained in the letter sent this morning to the newspaper "La Stampa": never a single euro from the ministry, not even for a coffee, was used for travel and accommodation of Dr. Maria Rosaria Boccia who, with respect to the organization of the G7 Culture, never had access to confidential documents».

This was stated by the Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, after the meeting with the Prime Minister that lasted an hour and a half.

THE STORY

"With respect to an undeniable media storm that has hit me in recent days, and within which it is difficult to distinguish authentic fake news from real facts that must also be brought back into the right dimension, I believe it is appropriate to provide my version especially on the elements of public relevance". Thus the Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano in a letter to La Stampa.

"I met Dr. Boccia in mid-May during the European election campaign and found that we shared the same views," he explains. "I later developed the intention to assign Dr. Boccia the role, free of charge, of advisor to the minister for major events. After the first investigation phase, having accepted some doubts from the Cabinet about the possibility, albeit merely potential, of conflicts of interest, I decided not to proceed with the appointment and I formally communicated this. This is not the first time that the Ministry of Culture, like other institutions, has not proceeded with appointments that had been examined. During this time, Dr. Boccia has never taken part in administrative proceedings. I believe it is important to underline that never a single euro from the ministry, not even for a coffee, has been used for Dr. Boccia's travel and accommodation."

With respect to the G7, "in an initial phase, it was actually thought to hold the international event in the enchanting Positano, but already in the first months of the year, as demonstrated by the ministry's correspondence, before I met Dr. Boccia, On June 3, I went to the Archaeological Park of Pompeii to visit the metal scaffolding that allows visitors to watch restorers and archaeologists at work. It was not an inspection concerning the G7. And in any case, the occasions on which it was present did not have an institutional character at all, nor even in the broad sense of an investigation of the G7. Security issues were never discussed."