The relationship between the 62-year-old and married Minister of Culture Gennaro Sangiuliano and the 41-year-old influencer Maria Rosaria Boccia was revealed through Boccia’s social media posts.
According to the BBC, Boccia shared a photo of himself with the minister on Instagram on August 26, with the message: “I would like to thank the Minister of Culture, Gennaro Sangiuliano, for appointing me as Advisor to the Minister in Charge of Major Events.”
This appointment quickly caught the attention of the press. The Ministry denied the news.
CONTRADICTION BETWEEN INFLUENCER AND MINISTRY
When Sangiuliano’s team said no such appointment had been made, Boccia began making new revelations. Boccia’s posts and leaked documents showed that the influencer had attended official events with the minister in recent months. These posts raised suspicions that Boccia also had access to sensitive security information about events such as the G7 meetings held under the Italian presidency.
The Minister apologized to his wife, Prime Minister Meloni and his colleagues. He said that he had submitted his resignation to Meloni but the Prime Minister had not accepted his resignation.
STATEMENT FROM PRIME MINISTER MELONİ
As the scandal grew, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni personally made a statement to try to allay security concerns.
Meloni, who joined a program on Rete 4 on Monday evening, stated that Boccia had no access to confidential documents related to the G7. Meloni also argued that no public budget was spent on the influencer.
WHAT IS G7?
G7 (Group of Seven) is an international alliance of seven countries. The group consists of seven countries: Germany, the United States, the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Japan, and Canada, and the European Union is also represented in the G7.