Rumours swirl that Italian government is under attack from judiciary

Rumours are swirling from sources within the government that the Italian judiciary is trying to bring down the Italian government, as several leading figures in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s government are under investigation.

Currently, there are three highly publicised cases: Tourism Minister Daniela Santanchè is being investigated for bankruptcy and false accounting, the forced indictment of Justice Undersecretary Andrea Delmastro, and a more delicate case involving the son of Senate President Ignazio La Russa, accused of rape.

“They think we cannot govern because we would be racist, fascist, homophobic. And they try to bring us down by using individual magistrates”, claims a source in Fratelli d’Italia (FDI/ECR).

The government accuses in a leaked memo that a “segment of the judiciary”, pushed by left-wing parties, has opened up the games ahead of the European elections in June 2024.

“This is a very serious accusation. If a magistrate is sectarian or politically aligned, he is simply not a magistrate”, said the National Association of Magistrates President Giuseppe Santalucia.

The belief of Meloni’s party – Fratelli d’Italia (ECR) – as well as her government allies Lega (ID) and Forza Italia (EPP), is that a part of the judiciary has moved to stop the justice reform carried out by Minister Carlo Nordio, dear to all right-wing parties.

“I have noted that people want to raise the clash, but I am not the one who opened hostilities, and I will continue not to respond to provocations”, said Meloni. However, sources close to the government reveal that “the assault has failed”. Meloni “will not back down”, and the justice reform will be done, now more urgently than ever.

“I will continue my work with serenity, I am satisfied with the excellent results at home and in foreign policy, and I remain focused on the daily work and the consent of the Italians”, the Italian prime minister said.

The governing right remains united to resist the opposition’s attacks.

The Vice-President of the Senate, Maurizio Gasparri (Forza Italia), made a harsh comment: “The judiciary is attacking the Constitution. And this cannot be ignored by those who have the utmost responsibility for presiding over this super caste that considers itself sovereign and untouchable”.

The opposition also joined in. “I am concerned about a prime minister who, hiding behind the screen of ‘Chigi sources’ (Palazzo Chigi is the government seat), conducts a very serious attack on magistrates who are carrying out their duty, accusing them of even having opened the election campaign for the European elections”, said 5 Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte.

“It is absolutely unacceptable in a democratic system that, instead of responding to the serious accusations on the merits, Palazzo Chigi fuels a dangerous clash between the powers of the state by circulating a note with intimidating tones towards the judiciary”, says Democratic Party (PD/S&D) secretary Elly Schlein.

(Federica Pascale | EURACTIV.it)