Former Italian justice undersecretary Andrea Delmastro has forwarded correspondence to Rome Chief Prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi concerning chats at the centre of a political controversy, saying he has nothing to hide and is not under investigation.
Lo Voi had sent a letter to Chamber President Lorenzo Fontana after the lawyer for Mauro Caroccia — a restaurateur serving a definitive sentence for mafia-related offences — filed the chats with the prosecutor's office. A CD believed to contain the messages was attached to the letter. The Chamber's authorisations committee had earlier rejected prosecutors' requests to seize the messages.
The dispute has triggered parliamentary tensions, with the Five Star Movement threatening to block Chamber proceedings unless a vote is held. Forza Italia group leader Enrico Costa called the procedure anomalous. Delmastro resigned in March after revelations he co-owned a Rome restaurant with Caroccia's daughter, whom prosecutors suspect acted as a front for her father.