The revelations coming out of a probe
by Perugia prosecutors into a case of alleged spying by a
policeman on a number of high-profile politicians and
celebrities are extremely serious, Premier Giorgia Meloni said
on Tuesday.
"I consider it extremely serious that in Italy there should be
state officials who have spent their time breaking the law by
making checks on ordinary citizens and VIPs at their whim and
then passing the information on to the press, and in particular
to some members of the press," said Meloni.
"Using public databases in this way has nothing to do with
freedom of the press," she added.
Finance police officer Pasquale Striano is alleged to have
illegally accessed the data of a wide range of public figures
including Defence Minister Guido Crosetto, Business Minister
Adolfo Urso, Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida, Labour
Minister Marina Elvira Calderone, Environment and Energy
Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Education Minister
Giuseppe Valditara, Silvio Berlusconi's former partner and MP
Marta Fascina, ex-premiers Giuseppe Conte (and his partner
Olivia Paladino) and Matteo Renzi, rapper and TV personality
Fedez, soccer great Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus coach
Massimiliano Allegri, business group Confindustria chief Carlo
Bonomi and League leader Matteo Salvini's girlfriend Francesca
Verdini while he was deployed at the National Anti-mafia
Prosecutor's Department.
Prosecutors believe that some of the data allegedly obtained by
Striano was used for journalist purposes, while other data may
have been passed on to a private investigator or used by Striano
for personal purposes.
A number of journalists are among 14 people under investigation
in relation to the case.
National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor Giovanni Melillo and Perugia
Chief Prosecutor Raffaele Cantone are scheduled to report to
Parliament's Anti-Mafia Commission respectively on Wednesday at
4.30 p.m. and on Thursday at 10 a.m on the case that has sparked
alarm.
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