MILAN (AP) — Italy’s culture minister resigned Friday, days after tearfully admitting an affair with a ministry adviser that embarrassed the government of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
After supporting him for nearly two weeks as the scandal unfolded, Meloni accepted the resignation of Gennaro Sangiuliano, a member of her far-right Brothers of Italy party, calling him “an honest man”.
In addition to the affair, the scandal was also accompanied by speculation that the adviser, Maria Rosaria Boccia, had been given access to sensitive government documents relating to an upcoming meeting of G7 culture ministers.
The crisis erupted last month when Sangiuliano took to social media to deny Boccia’s announcement that she had been formally appointed an adviser for major events within the ministry.
Since then, her Instagram feed has been filled with rebuttals as Sangiuliano attempts to calm the storm around her, including a recording that appeared to confirm her appointment and her insistence that the ministry had always paid her expenses, despite Sangiuliano’s denials.
In an interview on RAI state television on Wednesday, Sangiuliano said Boccia’s appointment had never been finalized because of the potential conflict of interest related to the affair. He also said he had personally footed the bill for her expenses during her ministerial duties and that she had never had access to sensitive government material. He said he had broken off the brief affair on August 8.
“The first person I have to apologize to, an exceptional person, is my wife,” Sangiuliano said through tears. “I apologize to Giorgia Meloni, who trusted me, for creating shame for her and for the government.”
Sangiuliano left his mark on the ministry by replacing foreigners who were directors at top Italian museums and installing a new head of the Venice Biennale to counter what some saw as years of left-wing bias. He also backed a new Entrance fee 5 euros to the Pantheon, Italy’s most visited cultural attraction.
In a statement, Meloni thanked him for his “extraordinary work that enabled the Italian government to achieve important results in the relaunch and appreciation of Italy’s great cultural heritage, also beyond its borders.”
Meloni later attended the swearing-in of Alesandro Giuli, head of Rome’s MAXXI museum of contemporary art and architecture for almost two years, as the new Minister of Culture.
