In the end she leaves him, and announces her “irrevocable” resignation even before having presented it to Giorgia Meloni. Vittorio Sgarbi will no longer be Undersecretary of Culture and he goes away thanking the Prime Minister, “who didn’t ask me anything”, but pointing the finger at his minister, Gennaro Sangiuliano, who he doesn’t hesitate to define as a “man without dignity”.
Video Sgarbi resigns as undersecretary of the ‘Restart’, Nicola Porro’s event
The farewell of the art critic – the second for the government, after that of Augusta Montaruli, convicted of embezzlement – is an epilogue that makes the majority breathe a sigh of relief, with closed notebooks. His position – the investigation for the stolen painting, the extra activities under the guarantor’s lens after the reports received from the Ministry of Culture, his utterances – have created more than one embarrassment among the allies in recent months.
When the case of the presentations of exhibitions, books and paid conferences broke out, the prime minister had taken her timewaiting to “evaluate the merits” of the indications of the Antitrust, which had set the deadline for ruling on February 15th but could communicate earlier the conclusions on the incompatibility between Sgarbi’s extra-government activities and the role he held until this afternoon at Mic.
Furthermore, a motion of no confidence from the opposition in the Chamber was pending on the now former undersecretary, which would have been discussed on the 15th, after a postponement decided two days ago amid controversy.
Now everyone rejoices: the “first right thing he does”for Avs, while the 5 Stars claim to have carried out the battle first and in any case ask Meloni to account, as does the Democratic Party, for the “reticence” also on other cases, immediately brought up, such as that of Daniela Santanchè for the trouble with Visibilia, that of Andrea Delmastro, on whom the trial for the revelation of official secrets linked to the Cospito case hangs, and also that – Matteo Renzi brings it into play – of Francesco Lollobrigida, after the extraordinary stop of the Frecciarossa at Ciampino .
Video Sgarbi: ‘Insults to journalists? I don’t have to apologize to anyone
For further information Agenzia ANSA The contested painting, Il Fatto-Report against Sgarbi – News – Ansa.it The enigma of the stolen work by Rutilio Manetti (ANSA)
“I will definitely appeal to the TAR” says Sgarbi now, claiming his work so far: “There was a precise action to lead me to resign. I am the object of evident media persecution”, he attacks with his head down, ensuring that no he would be resigned “on the basis of insinuations or gossip in anonymous letters” but when “the authority recognized the incompatibility”.
The arrival of a “very complex and confusing letter” from the Authority where “it was written that I cannot give conferences at Porro”pushed him to leave, says with an evident provocation Sgarbi, who announces his farewell at an event organized by Nicola Porro in Milan.
For further information, Agenzia ANSA Sgarbi posts a barefoot photo: ‘They want to make shoes for me, here they are!’ – News – Ansa.it The undersecretary of Culture is under investigation by the Macerata prosecutor’s office for laundering cultural assets in the investigation into the painting attributed to Rutilio Manetti (ANSA)
From Palazzo Chigi, for now, no comments. Although in the coming weeks it will be necessary to evaluate whether and when Sgarbi will be replaced, considering that the position left by Montaruli at the Ministry of University and Research where Annamaria Bernini, moreover, is currently left without any undersecretaries, has also remained uncovered.
At the Ministry of Culture, the majority note, there have not always been three undersecretaries (the other two are the Northern League member Lucia Borgonzoni and Gianmarco Mazzi, elected with Fdi). And there would be other ministries, starting from the Mef, which would have asked for an additional undersecretary. Once Sgarbi has left the scene – who was not elected to Parliament and therefore now goes back to being, as he himself says, “just Sgarbi – respecting the balance established at the beginning, a possible new appointment would be up to We Moderates, and the name of Totiana deputy Ilaria Cavo.
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