Epress.am News from Armenia
Italian Premier Mario Monti’s (pictured) new government suffered its first ethics casualty Tuesday with the resignation of a top official who allegedly received complimentary vacations at an exclusive Tuscan resort, The Washington Post reports, citing AP.
Carlo Malinconico, Monti’s undersecretary, quit Tuesday although he insisted he did nothing wrong.
Italian media have reported that a businessman under investigation for alleged corruption in a public contracts case paid at least part of the €19,876 (over $25,000) bill for Malinconico’s summer weekend getaways in 2007 and 2008 at the five-star Il Pellicano resort on the Tuscan coast.
Monti’s government came into office in November pledging transparency and rigor to help rescue Italy from financial disaster, imposing tough austerity measures that include higher taxes and pension cuts.
Monti, a well-respected economist and former European commissioner, insisted that his government of technocrats be free of any conflicts of interest or other impediments as they demand financial sacrifices from ordinary Italians.
The Malinconico case represented this government’s first hint of scandal, and Monti dispatched with it quickly, accepting Malinconico’s resignation after meeting with him Tuesday.
In a statement, Monti thanked Malinconico for his “sense of responsibility in putting the public interest before any other consideration.” The statement noted that Malinconico says he had acted properly.
At the time of the resort stays, Malinconico was the secretary general in Romano Prodi’s center-left government.