The referendum effect overwhelms the government, and two officials at the Ministry of Justice fall : Undersecretary Andrea Delmastro and the ministry's cabinet chief, Giusi Bartolozzi, forced to resign at the explicit request of Giorgia Meloni. She also demands that the government's third weak point, Daniela Santanchè, step down . However, at least for now, Santanchè is resisting, sparking a fierce tug-of-war with the prime minister.
Palazzo Chigi issued a statement in which the Prime Minister acknowledged Delmastro and Bartolozzi's resignation , thanking them for their "dedicated" work. But she was harsh with the Brothers of Italy minister, who appears unwilling to resign: "I hope that, along the same lines of institutional sensitivity, a similar decision will be shared by the Minister of Tourism, Daniela Santanchè," she wrote in a statement with an unusual tone.
The minister is currently on trial in Milan for alleged false accounting of her company Visibilia and is under investigation for alleged bankruptcy . Santanchè has consistently resisted, continuing to work in her office today and confirming her appointments for the coming days.
Delmastro is burdened by his dealings with the daughter of Mauro Caroccia, convicted as a front for the Senese clan, with whom the longtime Fratelli d'Italia representative opened a restaurant in Rome. For Bartolozzi, however, his management of the referendum campaign was crucial. In particular, his shocking statement on Sicilian TV: "If the 'yes' wins, we'll get rid of the magistrates. They're a firing squad." This was in addition to the decisions made at the ministry, especially regarding the repatriation of Libyan General Almasri. For both, the step back was painful and came in the afternoon after a final three-hour meeting with the Minister of Justice, Carlo Nordio. This followed predictions made by the minister himself just hours earlier. "I'm sure the undersecretary will be able to clarify," Nordio emphasized on Sky Tg24. And then, after taking political blame for the referendum defeat, he categorically denied that the fate of Bartolozzi, his right-hand man on Via Arenula, was in question ("Absolutely not").
"This is a reform that bears my name, and I therefore assume political responsibility for it," he clarified. "If there were any communication or approach flaws, they were also my fault." Delmastro's statement also arrived late in the afternoon : "I have always fought crime, with concrete and significant results, and although I have done nothing wrong, I made a mistake that I corrected as soon as I became aware of it ."
(Unioneonline)