Meloni finally accepts his resignation and appoints Alessangro Giuli as his replacement
September 6 () –
Italian Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano has resigned “irrevocably” on Friday after admitting that he had an extramarital affair with influencer and businesswoman Maria Rosaria Boccia, whom he allegedly appointed as an advisor for major events, a decision he later reversed.
Sangiuliano has thus insisted on leaving office despite the support received by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, whom he thanked for defending him and for her “affection” in a difficult moment. “I am proud of the results obtained,” he said in relation to the cultural policies adopted during his time in office.
“After much reflection, in painful days and filled with hatred towards me by a certain media system, I have decided to resign irrevocably as Minister of Culture,” says the letter, which underlines the importance of Italian institutions.
“I am aware that I have touched a nerve and aroused much enmity by choosing to review the system of contributions to cinema in search of greater efficiency and less waste. This work cannot be tarnished and above all hindered by gossip,” he clarified before stating that he will go “to the bottom of the matter (…) and take action against those who have published false news in recent days.”
The controversy, known as ‘Boccia Gate’ in relation to the influencer’s name, has affected Meloni’s government, which nevertheless decided to initially reject Sangiuliano’s resignation. However, after receiving this second resignation letter, the Italian Prime Minister has announced the appointment of Alessandro Giuli as his replacement.
Meloni, for his part, has sincerely thanked Sangiuliano for his “extraordinary” work and stressed that he is an “honest man” who has allowed the Italian Government to “achieve important results in the revival and valorisation of the great Italian cultural heritage, even beyond national borders”. “The actions to relaunch national culture will continue,” he said in a message posted on the social network X.
Sangiuliano, 62, a former journalist for the Italian television channel RAI, said that the Court of Auditors is considering opening an investigation into the matter: “I am glad because this will give me the opportunity to prove that not a single euro of public funds has ended up in the hands of Maria Rosaria Boccia,” reports the daily ‘Corriere della Sera’.
The case became public after Boccia herself published a photograph alongside Sangiuliano announcing her appointment as an advisor, a position that the minister allegedly never granted her. Sangiuliano has since denied that the influencer – who accompanied him on eight official trips during the summer – performed such a job, and has claimed that his expenses were paid by himself.
Boccia, for his part, has released several internal documents from the Ministry and has stated that he participated in meetings prior to the G7 summit of ministers in Naples.
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