President Sergio Mattarella received Justice Minister Carlo Nordio at the Quirinale palace on Wednesday to formally assert the head of state's sole constitutional authority to grant pardons. The meeting sought to clarify the limits of the minister's prerogatives on the matter.
Mattarella cited former President Luigi Einaudi, warning against setting precedents that could erode the president's constitutional powers, as affirmed by a 2006 Constitutional Court ruling that reserved the pardon power exclusively to the head of state. Nordio had opened proceedings to consider pardoning Mario Roggero, who received a final sentence of 14 years and nine months for chasing and killing two thieves after they robbed his shop in April 2021.
Parliamentary group leaders from the governing coalition parties, including Brothers of Italy, the League, and Forza Italia, had launched a petition urging Roggero's pardon.