Italian Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche has been ordered to stand trial for alleged falsification of financial statements at her former publishing company, a Milan judge ruled on Friday.
Santanche, a member of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s far-right Brothers of Italy party, denies any wrongdoing, claiming she did not commit fraud during her tenure as chair and CEO of Visibilia, a media publishing and advertising agency.
She becomes the second minister from Meloni’s government to face trial, following Transport Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini, who was cleared of charges in December related to his detention of a migrant boat during a previous administration.
“Prosecutors claim the forecasts in the (company’s) business plan were overly optimistic,” Santanche’s lawyer Nicolo Pelanda told reporters at the court.
“It leaves us with a bitter taste in our mouths but we are convinced that we can prove Santanche’s lack of involvement,” he said.
The trial is set to begin in March.
Opposition parties have called for Santanche’s resignation, and if she complies, she would become the second minister in Meloni’s government to step down, following the culture minister’s resignation last year amid a sex scandal.
Last month, Meloni declined to confirm whether Santanche would remain in her position if ordered to stand trial.
Santanche is also involved in two other investigations, one of which concerns alleged benefit fraud.
Milan prosecutors have accused Visibilia, the media company Santanche sold before joining Meloni’s administration in 2022, of improperly claiming government redundancy funds during the coronavirus pandemic for employees who continued to work. Italy’s highest court is set to decide at the end of the month whether this case should be moved from Milan to Rome, after which a decision will be made regarding whether she should stand trial.
Prosecutors are also investigating Santanche in connection with the bankruptcy of Ki Group-Bioera, an organic food company she once co-managed.
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