Brussels (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – In the past month, the Italian Government had to handle the news of PM Meloni under investigation, severe train circulation issues, and the possibility of the resignation of Minister of Tourism Santanché.
Meloni under investigation
On January 29, 2025, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni posts a video on her social media. Preceding any newspaper, she breaks the news of an investigation in which she is accused of aiding and abetting a crime and embezzlement in connection with the repatriation of Osama Najim, also known as Almasri, the Libyan chief of judiciary police.
The Libyan chief of judiciary police, Najim, also known as Almasri, was arrested in Turin and sent back to Tripoli by the Italian authorities despite being wanted by the ICC (International Criminal Court) for multiple human rights violations.
Rome prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi aims at addressing the controversies and grey areas of the release of Almasri. Under investigation is also Minister of Justice Carlo Nordio, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and Alfredo Mantovano, undersecretary of state for intelligence affairs.
I think that it is true today what it was true yesterday: I am not blackmailable, I am not intimidated it is possible that because of this I am invisible to those who do not want Italy to change, to become better, but also and above all, because of this, I intend to go on my way to defend Italians, especially when the security of the nation is at stake,
says the Prime Minister in the video, suggesting that this investigation is a personal attack on her government.
A plot to sabotage national railways?
During January 2025, there were significant train breakdowns and delays in Italy. According to Matteo Salvini, Italian Minister of Infrastructures and Transport, and to the National Railway Group, such disruptions happened under “highly suspicious circumstances.” Both claim that these events are likely to be attempts to attack the government, rather than malfunctions under the National Railway responsibility.
National media raised concerns over the reliability of these accusations due to lack of concrete proof. The report by the National Railway Group does not go into detail on the proof they have and on how their investigation was conducted.
“I’m going to be very clear: a great country like Italy does not get intimidated, and it never will,” said Minister of Transport Salvini in the House. “After proper investigation in the past few weeks, we have a full picture of arson, explosions, breakdowns, ruptures and electrical problems, incidents that occurred regularly until, coincidentally enough, the National Railway report was published.”
Elly Shlein, leader of the opposition and the Democratic Party, attacked both Salvini and Meloni saying that they owe Italians an apology for the bad service of national transports. “We are tired of your empty propaganda,” said the MP, and she called for immediate accountability and restorative actions.
All that the Minister of Tourism is under investigation
Italian Minister of Tourism Daniela Santanché, member of the Brothers of Italy party led by Meloni, is involved in multiple judicial matters.
On January 17, 2025, the Court of Milan announced the beginning of the judicial process against Minister Santanché. The minister is accused of false accounting for the editorial company Visibilia Editore, of which she was President and CEO before joining Meloni’s government in 2022. She supposedly rigged the budgets between 2016 and 2022 to hide multi million-euros losses and deceive investors.
She is also accused of fraud against INPS, the Italian national institute of welfare, for inappropriate use of Covid-19 funds, and of bankruptcy offence from back when she was legal representative of Ki Group, a now failed company in the biologic food sector.
Santanché is determined to keep her job and to defend herself in court.
The recent updates on the cases she is involved in, renewed the calls for resignation by the opposition. Head of the Democratic Party, Elly Shlein, said that Meloni is “politically responsible” for her ministers’ actions and she should demand Minister Santanché’s resignation. Five Stars Movement leader Giuseppe Conte also asked Santaché to leave without waiting for the final ruling of the courts, as her apparent involvement in those cases is “disgraceful” towards the Italian governmental institution.
PM Meloni commented that it is up to the judges to decide the degree of her involvement in the matter. As of now, she hasn’t asked the Minister to resign.
How did they handle the chaos?
As it approaches half of her term, the current right-wing Italian government still has an approval rate above 40%, and the opposition is still struggling to bring it down. One of the tools that Meloni’s team makes great use of in particular is communication.
The Prime Minister’s communication – and, as a reflex, the one of most of her ministers – is simple and, rather than focusing on technicalities, it emphasizes concepts and ideals while pushing a precise interpretation of facts. This includes shifting the attention on conspiracy theories against them and presenting themselves as victims who “stay strong” and “keep fighting for Italians.”
Future updates on these investigations will be crucial to determine the actual strength of this government.
