Italian minister resigns over controversy over appointment of lover as adviser

Italy’s culture minister has resigned following a row over the appointment of his former mistress as a senior adviser, sparking weeks of controversy for the country’s right-wing government.

Gennaro Sangiuliano, 62, found himself at the centre of a media storm when Maria Rosaria Boccia – his former lover – posted on LinkedIn that she had been appointed as his adviser for “important events”.

He initially denied the allegations, but in a tearful interview with state television on Wednesday, Mr. Sangiuliano admitted to having an affair with Ms. Boccia and hiring her as an unpaid adviser.

On Friday, he finally submitted his resignation to Georgian Prime Minister Meloni, but denied that he had broken any ministerial rules.

Mr Sangiuliano also apologised to his wife in an interview on Wednesday and said he had ended his relationship with Ms Boccia over the summer. He said he first met her in Naples in May, before their friendship turned into what he called a “romantic relationship”.

Throughout the incident, Ms Boccia recorded her interactions with Mr Sangiuliano using her phone and a pair of RayBan Stories sunglasses – designed by Meta, which have a built-in camera and microphone. Many of the photos were posted to Instagram, with Ms Boccia insisting there was “nothing illegal” in her secret recordings.

In photos posted on her account, Ms. Boccia documented numerous trips with Mr. Sangiuliano during his official visits, raising questions about whether state money was spent on her travel or accommodation.

The minister denied any suggestion that public money had been spent on Ms Boccia, telling state television on Wednesday that “not a single euro” had been spent on her trips. He produced documents he said backed up his claim that he had paid for her expenses.

Critics have also raised concerns that Ms Boccia had access to classified information, after photos showed her accompanying the minister to Pompeii – the site of a meeting of G7 culture ministers next month. Other images showed she had access to the ministry’s offices and documents.

Since the couple split, the 41-year-old has made a series of accusations against Mr Sangiuliano, earning her the nickname “machine gunner” in the Italian press.

Ms Meloni thanked the outgoing culture minister for his “extraordinary work”, writing on X that his efforts had “allowed the Italian government to achieve important results in relaunching and enhancing Italy’s great cultural heritage, even beyond national borders”.

But the disaster is the latest embarrassment to hit Ms Meloni’s government, led by her far-right Brothers of Italy party.

Several of her senior ministers have been investigated for various scandals, including Daniela Santanchè, the tourism minister, who faces allegations of fraud and false accounting.

Francesco Lollobrigida, the agriculture minister, sparked outrage after ordering a late-night high-speed train to let him off early. And Vittorio Sgarbi – a junior minister – was forced to resign after facing accused of illegally purchasing a valuable Renaissance painting.

Ms Meloni appeared to be frustrated with her cabinet on Wednesday and asked ministers to be more cautious in public activities.

“We are making history, and we all need to be aware of that,” the prime minister told a meeting. “This does not allow for interruptions and pauses, and even less for mistakes and wrong steps.”

Despite the scandals, her government remains relatively popular in opinion polls, while Italy’s opposition remains divided between several parties.