A senior Italian government official denies that he has authorized wiretapping of politicians and journalists

May 31. (EUROPE PRESS) –

The undersecretary to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers of Italy, Alfredo Mantovano, a senior official in the Government of the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, has denied on Wednesday that he has authorized wiretapping of journalists and politicians.

“Since I took office in this government, I have never authorized, as the delegated authority for the security of the Republic (ADSR), any form of wiretapping against politicians or journalists,” said the one who is also responsible for the Government in the structures of Italian Intelligence.

Likewise, he referred to the words pronounced by the leader of Italia Viva, Matteo Renzi, who the day before assured in an interview with the newspaper ‘La Repubblica’ that “the democratic stability” of Italy “is at stake”, since more than 400 people were “intercepted” by the Italian secret services, including politicians and journalists.

“Renzi evokes a scenario that, if true, would be very serious. The judicial authority (will) evaluate it in a possible investigation to guarantee institutionality and democratic order,” he specified in a statement, in response to the politician’s statements.

Likewise, Mantovano has assured that he has communicated to the president of the Parliamentary Security Commission of the Italian Republic, Lorenzo Guerini, his “willingness to provide any useful information if he deems it appropriate.”

His statements come after the publication of the book ‘The powerful in the time of Giorgia’, which analyzes the plots, power games and pacts made in the Meloni era, as well as the relationship between the Prime Minister and the Italian secret services.