Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has asked Justice Minister Carlo Nordio to open a pardon file for Mario Roggero, a man serving a final sentence of 14 years and nine months for killing two robbers and wounding a third during a 2021 break-in.
In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Meloni said she told Nordio personally to activate the pardon procedure, arguing the sentence is disproportionate. She compared Roggero's term to shorter penalties handed down for crimes such as child sexual abuse and gang rape, and called for greater consideration of the stress and fear experienced by the defendant during the incident.
Roggero was convicted after shooting the intruders, a case that has drawn sustained attention in Italy over self-defence laws and sentencing proportionality. The pardon process, if formally opened, would ultimately require presidential approval.