Santanché to brief Senate on business allegations next Wed – English

(ANSA) – ROME, JUN 27 – Tourism Minister Daniela Santanché
will address the Senate at 15:00 next Wednesday, July 5, to
address claims by a TV programme that she had run businesses
that allegedly failed to pay suppliers and allegedly dismissed
workers without giving them redundancy payments that were due to
them, the upper house whips decided Tuesday.
   
She has also been accused of improperly receiving COVID aid.
   
Santanché on Monday brushed off suggestions that she should
resign in relation to the claims.
   
“Resign? Over what? Be serious. Are we chasing after Report?”
said Santanché, referring to the investigative show that she has
said she will sue.
   
“I will answer to everything,” continued the minister, a senior
member of Premier Giorgia Meloni’s rightwing Brothers of Italy
(FdI) party.
   
“I have been in politics for 23 years, I have always put myself
out there. Don’t worry and wait calmly,” said Santanché.
   
On Sunday the populist opposition 5-Star Movement (M5S) asked
the parliamentary speakers to set up an “urgent” hearing for
Santanché to address the allegations – something that the
minister had already said she would do “proudly”, insisting that
the reportage was “devoid of correspondence to historical
truth”.
   
On Saturday Meloni said the government is “tranquil”.
   
“I think there is no problem with (Santanché) reporting to
Parliament, it is a legitimate request from Parliament. I am
happy that Minister Santanché has given her availability, I have
seen her calm in these hours as I am calm”, Meloni said at the
end of the Europa Forum Wachau in southern Austria. (ANSA).