Post on social media
The scandal erupted on August 26, when fashion influencer Maria Rosaria Boccia posted a photo on her personal blog with Italian Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano, thanking him for his position as “advisor for major events.” The blogger had previously posted photos with the politician and also posted content suggesting that he was involved in the ministry’s work. Boccia also told her subscribers that she was actively involved in the preparations for the G7 culture ministers’ meeting in Naples.
The Italian media were the first to react to the gorgeous blonde’s posts. After the release of Boccia’s boarding passes to journalists, confirming that she had accompanied Sangiuliano on at least seven trips in the summer of 2024, the minister was accused of misusing public funds. The “advisor” added fuel to the fire: on September 1, Boccia published screenshots on his personal blog indicating that he had been removed from the Culture Ministry’s WhatsApp chats. At the same time, the politician himself and members of his department denied appointing a woman to the post. Boccia later published private conversations confirming that Sangiuliano had used government funds to cover his travel expenses, provided him with confidential information and appointed him as a special advisor despite the apparent conflict of interest.
He backed up his “evidence” with audio recordings of phone calls with government officials, screenshots of airline tickets, and photos of official government event programs taken wearing Ray-Ban Stories sunglasses equipped with a built-in microphone and camera.
Reaction from the Italian Prime Minister
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni made her first statement on September 2 regarding the situation regarding the head of the Ministry of Culture and his “advisor.” In an interview with Rete4, the head of state said that Sangiuliano had originally planned to appoint Boccia “to an unpaid position, but later made a different choice.” She also stressed that the minister had not spent public money on the woman and had not given her access to confidential information.
“He (Sangiuliano) guarantees that he (Boccia) has not had access to any confidential document, especially related to the G7, and above all that not a single Italian euro or public money has been spent on him,” the Prime Minister explained.
George Melony
Pool/Reuters
The same day, la Repubblica reported that Meloni was “furious about what happened,” according to a source in the Cabinet. The publication’s journalists noted that the president was still ready to dismiss Sangiuliano if information about his department’s expenses for Boccia’s business trips was confirmed.
On the evening of September 3, the politician himself sent a letter to the Italian newspaper Stampa, claiming that Maria Rosaria Boccia had never been involved in administrative procedures and that “not a single euro was spent from her department, not even on her coffee, not to mention her trips.”
Admission
On the evening of September 4, Gennaro Sangiuliano gave an emotional interview to state television channel RAI, where he confessed his love for Maria Rosaria Boccia. He explained that he first met her at a party in Naples in May 2023, after which their friendship developed into an “emotional relationship”. The politician revealed that their love ended in early August 2024, on his own initiative.
In an interview, the head of the Ministry of Culture reiterated that he never spent state money on his loved ones and always paid the bills for joint trips from personal funds: “I gave the TV channel access to my mobile device, my bank, and you can see that I paid for the train and flight in Taormina from my personal credit card, which belongs to my personal bank account for Maria Rosaria Boccia.” Sangiuliano added that after he and Boccia “developed a personal friendship,” he discovered Boccia’s organizational talents and skills, which led him to consider appointing her as a major event consultant.
“Then this friendship turned into a personal, emotional relationship. I continued to consider hypotheses regarding his appointment, but later I consulted my lawyer friends and my private secretary, who told me that this could lead to a potential conflict of interest. Therefore, I decided to reject this appointment,” he said.
The politician also said he had asked Meloni to resign, but Meloni had refused. However, he said he was ready to resign “a minute after the prime minister asked for it” and tearfully thanked him “for the trust he expressed despite the inconvenience it caused him and the government”. At the end of his speech, which lasted about 20 minutes, Sangiuliano apologized to his wife, Frederica Corsini: “The first person I have to apologize to, and that is an exceptional person, is my wife.”
Italian Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano and his wife Federica Corsini at the 81st Venice Film Festival, 27 August 2024
Louisa Gouliamaki/Reuters
Maria Rosaria Boccia’s reaction
Maria Rosaria Boccia continues to post revealing posts on her personal blog in response to her ex-lover’s statements, denying Sangiuliano’s claim that he “paid all the bills from his own pocket” and insisting that he personally attended meetings related to the G7 organization. Boccia also pointed to the authoritarianism of the country’s Prime Minister Giorgi Meloni and said that her ex-lover was being blackmailed.
“Gennaro Sangiuliano and I met on August 5. I accompanied him as an advisor on important events. As for the transfers, I always knew that they were paid for by the ministry, as is evident from the emails I received from the secretary. “There are those who blackmail the minister because of the opportunities that are offered to them,” Boccia said.
So far, the loud scandal has brought the influencer only additional attention and an increase in the number of viewers of his personal blog: if at the end of August only 18 thousand users subscribed to him, today their number has exceeded 100 thousand people.
Gennaro Sangiuliano (center) and Maria Rosaria Boccia
mariarosariabocciaofficial/Instagram (owner, Meta company is known as extremist in Russia and banned)
And still resign
On the evening of September 6, it was learned that the Italian Prime Minister nevertheless accepted the resignation of Gennaro Sangiuliano. In a statement, Giorgia Meloni thanked the former Minister of Culture of the country, “a talented and honest man”, for the enormous work that, in her opinion, allowed the government to achieve important results in the revival and strengthening of the great Italian cultural heritage, including outside Italy.
“I sincerely thank Gennaro Sangiuliano for his extraordinary work. I accept his irrevocable resignation and propose Alessandro Giuli, current president of the MAXXI Foundation, as Minister of Culture,” Meloni wrote on the X social network.
Sangiuliano himself did not comment on his resignation; he simply reposted Meloni’s message on social networks.
What are you thinking?
Source: Gazeta
Calvin Turley is an author at “Social Bites”. He is a trendsetter who writes about the latest fashion and entertainment news. With a keen eye for style and a deep understanding of the entertainment industry, Calvin provides engaging and informative articles that keep his readers up-to-date on the latest fashion trends and entertainment happenings.