There was fresh turmoil at the
culture ministry on Wednesday when chief of staff Francesco
Spano announced he was quitting, saying he could not stay in the
role because of a "situation that has arisen that is not without
unpleasant personal attacks".
Spano took up the role when new Culture Minister Alessandro
Giuli was sworn in last month after former minister Gennaro
Sangiuliano quit over a scandal regarding a would-be advisor he
admitted to having an affair with - Maria Rosaria Boccia.
Spano was reportedly under pressure to quit after Sigfrido
Ranucci, the presenter of an investigative journalism show on
State broadcaster Rai, said he will present two reports on new
cases regarding the culture ministry next weekend.
Daily newspaper il Fatto Quotidiano, meanwhile, reported that
Spano had been insulted over his sexual orientation and his
stance on LGBTQ issues and called a "pederast" in a chat group
of Premier Giorgia Meloni's right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI)
party.
He had come under fire over accusations he funded an LGBTQ
association accused of abetting prostitution while he was
director of the National Office against Racial Discrimination
(UNAR).
The FdI member who posted the insults, a local coordinator for
the party, was reportedly removed from the chat and resigned
from his post.
Giuli expressed "great sadness" at having accepted Spano's
resignation, saying he had refused it several times.
"My firm solidarity goes to him over the barbaric climate of
monstering to which he has been subjected over the last few
hours," Giuli said.
"I reiterate my total esteem and gratitude to Francesco Spano
for the outstanding technical professionalism and human quality
demonstrated in various situations, including the Ministry of
Culture".
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