ROME: A senior Italian regional politician was arrested on Tuesday in a widening corruption scandal that could damage former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s already weakened center-right party ahead of a national election in April.
Financial police arrested Franco Fiorito, former leader of Berlusconi’s People of Freedom (PDL) party in the regional parliament of Lazio, on suspicion of embezzlement, a justice system official said. His lawyers confirmed the arrest.
The arrest is the latest development in a scandal that has further tarnished the already abysmal image of Italian politics and weakened the PDL, which has been deeply divided since Berlusconi was forced to step down last year.
Dozens of other regional politicians are also alleged to be involved in the scandal which prompted the resignation last week of Lazio president Renata Polverini, whose departure is expected to trigger new regional elections within the next few months.
Italian newspapers have carried accounts of lavish parties and dinners apparently paid for with public funds and held by politicians in Lazio, the region surrounding the capital Rome.
One particularly damaging series of photographs shows revellers clad in togas and pig masks, underscoring the decadent image of the political class in a country facing deep recession and financial crisis.
The portly, bearded Fiorito had already been under investigation by magistrates over accusations that he embezzled around 1.3 million euros of party funds and used the money for a Sardinian holiday, expensive restaurants, cars and luxury goods.
In Italy, political parties receive state financing, meaning the money alleged to have been embezzled ultimately came from public funds.
However Fiorito’s lawyer Carlo Taormina said his client should not have been arrested for embezzlement and that many other politicians were also involved in the affair.
“There’s a legal argument which says that when this public money goes into the pockets of the party, whether you like it or not, it becomes private money,” he told TGCom24 television. “And you also have to say that if they’ve arrested Fiorito, the other 70 regional councillors in Lazio are missing from the list.”
Earlier this month, Fiorito told investigators that many other regional councillors were involved in a well-established system of sharing out party funds among themselves.
Berlusconi and PDL party secretary Angelino Alfano have attempted to distance themselves from the scandal, calling for an overhaul of party financing rules and tougher penalties on those guilty of abusing party funds.
But with recent opinion polls showing the PDL trailing both the center-left Democratic Party and the anti-establishment 5 Star Movement, the scandal has added a further obstacle six months away from the election.
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Italy politician arrested in widening funding scandal
Italy politician arrested in widening funding scandal
Albanese announces bravery award for heroes of Bondi antisemitic attack
NEWCASTLE: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese announced plans Thursday for a national bravery award to recognize civilians and first responders who confronted “the worst of evil” during an antisemitic terror attack that left 15 dead and has cast a heavy shadow over the nation’s holiday season.
Albanese said he plans to establish a special honors system for those who placed themselves in harms way to help during the attack on a beachside Hanukkah celebration, like Ahmed al Ahmed, a Syrian-Australian Muslim who disarmed one of the assailants before being wounded himself.
Sajid Akram, who was killed by police during the Dec. 14 attack, and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram are accused of perpetrating Australia’s worst massacre since 1996.
Speaking at a press conference after a Christmas Day lunch at a charitable foundation in Sydney, Albanese described a Christmas defined by a sharp contrast between extremist violence and the “best of humanity.”
“This Christmas is a different one because of the anti-terror and the terrorist attack motivated by Daesh and antisemitism,” Albanese said. “But at the same time as we have seen the worst of humanity, we have seen the bravery and kindness and compassion ... from those who rushed to danger.”
The proposed honors would recognize those who are nominated and recommended for bravery or meritorious awards under the existing Australian Honors and Awards system for their actions during and after the attack.
’Difficult fortnight’
Just a day after pushing through the country’s toughest firearm laws, New South Wales state leader Chris Minns issued a plea for national solidarity, urging Australians to support their Jewish neighbors during what he described as a fortnight of “heartbreak and pain.”
“Everybody in Australia needs to wrap their arms around them and lift them up,” Minns said at the same press conference Thursday. “I want them to know that Australians have got their back. We’re in their corner and we’re going to help them get through this.”
Tougher gun laws
The gun reforms which passed through the New South Wales state legislature on Christmas Eve include capping individual gun ownership at four and reclassifying high-risk weapons like pump-action firearms.
The legislation also tightens licensing by reducing permit terms to two years, restricting ownership to Australian citizens, and removing the review pathway for license denials.
“Gun reform alone will not solve hatred or extremism, but we can’t fail to act on restricting access to weapons which could lead to further violence against our citizens, Minns said earlier in the week when introducing the proposed laws.
Other new laws will ban the public display of terrorist symbols and grant police expanded powers to restrict public gatherings in specific areas following terrorist incidents.
Albanese has also announced plans to tighten Australia’s already strict gun laws.
Albanese said he plans to establish a special honors system for those who placed themselves in harms way to help during the attack on a beachside Hanukkah celebration, like Ahmed al Ahmed, a Syrian-Australian Muslim who disarmed one of the assailants before being wounded himself.
Sajid Akram, who was killed by police during the Dec. 14 attack, and his 24-year-old son Naveed Akram are accused of perpetrating Australia’s worst massacre since 1996.
Speaking at a press conference after a Christmas Day lunch at a charitable foundation in Sydney, Albanese described a Christmas defined by a sharp contrast between extremist violence and the “best of humanity.”
“This Christmas is a different one because of the anti-terror and the terrorist attack motivated by Daesh and antisemitism,” Albanese said. “But at the same time as we have seen the worst of humanity, we have seen the bravery and kindness and compassion ... from those who rushed to danger.”
The proposed honors would recognize those who are nominated and recommended for bravery or meritorious awards under the existing Australian Honors and Awards system for their actions during and after the attack.
’Difficult fortnight’
Just a day after pushing through the country’s toughest firearm laws, New South Wales state leader Chris Minns issued a plea for national solidarity, urging Australians to support their Jewish neighbors during what he described as a fortnight of “heartbreak and pain.”
“Everybody in Australia needs to wrap their arms around them and lift them up,” Minns said at the same press conference Thursday. “I want them to know that Australians have got their back. We’re in their corner and we’re going to help them get through this.”
Tougher gun laws
The gun reforms which passed through the New South Wales state legislature on Christmas Eve include capping individual gun ownership at four and reclassifying high-risk weapons like pump-action firearms.
The legislation also tightens licensing by reducing permit terms to two years, restricting ownership to Australian citizens, and removing the review pathway for license denials.
“Gun reform alone will not solve hatred or extremism, but we can’t fail to act on restricting access to weapons which could lead to further violence against our citizens, Minns said earlier in the week when introducing the proposed laws.
Other new laws will ban the public display of terrorist symbols and grant police expanded powers to restrict public gatherings in specific areas following terrorist incidents.
Albanese has also announced plans to tighten Australia’s already strict gun laws.
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