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POLITICS

Minister resigns over Italy’s ‘crazy expenses’ scandal

The Italian government avoided a crisis on Thursday after a junior League minister resigned following his conviction for fraud and embezzlement in what was known as the "crazy expenses" trial.

Minister resigns over Italy's 'crazy expenses' scandal
Regional councillors from Liguria were convicted of fiddling their expense claims. Photo: Alberto Pizzoli/AFP

The case threatened to put the anti-migrant League and its leader Matteo Salvini on a collision course with coalition partner the Five Star Movement (M5S), which has taken a tough stance against corruption.

The court in Genoa on Thursday sentenced infrastructure and transport undersecretary Edoardo Rixi to three years and five months in prison, one month more than the prosecutor had demanded.

“I have already handed my resignation to Salvini,” Italian media quoted Rixi as saying.

Deputy Prime Minister Salvini said that he had accepted the resignation “solely to protect him [Rixi] and the activity of the government from senseless attacks and scandals”.

The court also ordered €50,000 to be seized from Rixi, who will appeal.

The court heard that Rixi and 19 others accused at the Liguria regional council had submitted private expenses including for amusement park visits, lottery scratch cards, oysters, chocolates, flowers and other items between 2010 and 2012.

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The councillors, who came from several different political parties, were also found to have claimed multiple times for the same receipt. In one instance, League councillors submitted 15 receipts from the same cafe on the same day.

The case echoes that of fellow League infrastructure and transport undersecretary and Salvini confidante Armando Siri, who was sacked earlier this month amid graft allegations.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte sacked Siri despite Salvini's protests that he had not accepted a €30,000 bribe — or the promise of it — from a businessman for promoting the interests of renewable energy companies. Prosecutors also suspected businessman Siri of being in league with a Sicilian who has links to a Mafia boss. 

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TERRORISM

Italy on maximum terror alert over Easter after Moscow attack

Italy was to increase surveillance in busy areas ahead of the Easter holidays and following the bombing of a Moscow concert hall, ministers agreed on Monday.

Italy on maximum terror alert over Easter after Moscow attack

Italy’s national committee for public security, chaired by Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, on Monday said anti-terrorism monitoring in Italy must be strengthened ahead of the Easter holidays, with more surveillance to be carried out at popular tourist spots and at “sensitive sites”.

The committee agreed on “the importance of continuing monitoring activity, including online, by police and intelligence forces for the identification of possible risk situations” in Italy, reported news agency Ansa.

The security meeting was convened following the terrorist attack in Moscow on Friday where armed men opened fire and set the building ablaze, killing at least 133 people.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani had stressed to the public on Sunday that Italy faced “no concrete risk” and said the country’s security and law enforcement services were “always on the alert to prevent any attack.”

“During the Easter holidays you will need to be very careful. We will always do the utmost to ensure the safety of citizens and tourists,” Tajani said, speaking on national broadcaster Rai’s current affairs show Restart.

READ ALSO: Terror alerts: Should I be worried about travelling to Italy?

The fight against terrorism “has nothing to do with the war in Ukraine,” the minister continued.

“We support Ukraine” as an invaded country in which international law has been violated, he said, “but as the Italian government we have expressed our condemnation of the attack [in Moscow] and closeness to the families of the victims and the survivors”.

Cabinet Secretary Alfredo Mantovano said on the same programme that the main terrorist threat Italy faced at the moment was mainly from “lone wolves” and “not so much from organised groups.”

“I believe that a group like the one that acted in the Moscow attack, which must have been trained and had logistical support, would be intercepted sooner in Italy,” he said.

“The most worrying threat” in Italy was online recruitment, he said, noting that propaganda was closely monitored.

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