Meloni’s justice ministry in turmoil as Berlusconi-era scandal resurfaces

ROME — Late Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi’s “bunga bunga” scandal is back on the Italian political agenda, wreaking havoc in Giorgia Meloni’s justice ministry.

Recent controversies culminated in a hotly debated presidential pardon involving Nicole Minetti, a former dental hygienist convicted for her role in procuring women for Berlusconi’s infamous soirées in Villa Certosa in Sardinia. Earlier this year, she was granted a presidential pardon on humanitarian grounds, reportedly to care for an ill child.

But the justification of the pardon has since turned into a political and institutional headache, with the opposition pressuring right-wing Meloni to fire Justice Minister Carlo Nordio.

The Italian leader, however, has publicly stood by her Cabinet member. “I trust Nordio,” she said, ruling out “any possibility of resignations.”

President Sergio Mattarella’s office, which formally approved the pardon in February, has asked the justice ministry for urgent clarification following concerns about possible irregularities in the information supporting the request. The Italian authorities have called in Interpol to make enquiries.

An investigation published by Il Fatto Quotidiano examined the circumstances surrounding Minetti’s case, including speculation that elements of the documentation presented to obtain the pardon were incomplete or inaccurate.

How we got here

Plucked from obscurity by Berlusconi to serve as a city councilor in Milan, Minetti became a central figure in the long-running legal saga surrounding his sex parties, including his trial for sex with an underage nightclub dancer known as Ruby “the Heart Stealer.”

After years of legal battles, Minetti was sentenced to prison for procuring prostitutes and embezzlement. In the intervening years, she rebuilt her life in Uruguay with a new partner, heir to the wealthy restaurateur Cipriani dynasty, and sought clemency on humanitarian grounds, saying her adopted son needed specialist hospital care.

The justice ministry approved the argument after asking for a verification of information and the legal opinion of Milan’s attorney general. The ministry then approved the request and passed the dossier to Mattarella’s office, which gave final approval.

The political cost of that decision is rapidly escalating after Italian media reports cast doubt on her narrative that her child was abandoned at birth.

Minetti has rejected allegations against her, calling them “unfounded and damaging.” Her lawyer Emanuele Fisicaro told POLITICO that “the court documents disprove all the claims that have been made in the media.”

Government officials insist the decision was based on the documentation available at the time.

Nicole Minetti attends the Lombardy regional council assembly in Milan on Feb. 8, 2011. | Massimo Di Nonno/Getty Images

But the opposition is skeptical.

“We are facing yet another institutional, political and ethical disaster on Nordio’s watch,” said Nicola Fratoianni, leader of the left-wing Green and Left Alliance party.

The populist 5Star Movement struck a similarly hard line. “Nordio must explain how his ministry handled the Minetti pardon and then step aside before causing more damage,” said Federico Cafiero De Raho, MP, former prosecutor and vice president of the justice committee, in a statement.

The justice ministry rejected calls for Nordio to resign, insisting the minister had acted properly based on the documentation presented to him and that there were no grounds for him to step down.

Political consequences

The fallout has intensified pressure on Nordio, following a string of setbacks that have battered his credibility and reform agenda.

In March, voters resoundingly rejected the ministry’s flagship reform of the judiciary’s governing bodies in a referendum, a rare and highly visible political defeat for Meloni’s coalition, forcing the resignation of Nordio’s chief of staff.

The justice undersecretary, Meloni ally Andrea Delmastro Delle Vedove, was also forced to resign over business dealings with mafia-linked figures, further feeding a narrative of mismanagement and poor oversight.

The ministry caused international outrage last year over the release and repatriation of a Libyan general wanted by the International Criminal Court for crimes against humanity, an offense for which Italy now faces infraction proceedings.

The justice ministry’s press office pushed back on the opposition criticism, telling POLITICO that “there is no technical-legal reason nor political reason for the minister to resign.”

The office downplayed its responsibility in the Minetti case, saying its role was limited to the administrative process and a nonbinding opinion, with the attorney general’s office responsible for verifying information and the president’s office for final approval. “In any case no new elements have emerged that could lead to a revocation of the pardon.“

But even some within the governing coalition privately concede that the accumulation of crises has made the situation increasingly difficult to contain. Nerves are frayed following the firing of two senior justice ministry figures in March, with one government official — granted anonymity to speak freely on internal government matters — describing a volatile mood, saying Meloni is still under pressure after the referendum and that anything can happen.

For Meloni, who has staked her leadership on discipline and stability, the justice ministry’s unraveling risks undercutting that narrative and evoking the Berlusconi era, according to Daniele Albertazzi, professor of politics at the University of Surrey. “With this scandal, Berlusconi is coming back to haunt Meloni.”

Albertazzi said Meloni has so far protected Nordio because dismissing the high-profile former prosecutor “would be a very apparent admission of failure” and hand the opposition a clear victory.

“Instead, she is trying to frame this as relatively minor and shift the blame. But it’s one thing after another,” he added. “I don’t know if she can save him for much longer.”

For Meloni, the question is how much more political damage she can absorb ahead of next year’s election — with Berlusconi’s legacy once again intruding on her government.