Two officials quit Italian justice ministry after referendum defeat

Two officials quit Italy’s justice ministry on Tuesday, a day after Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni suffered a resounding defeat in ​a referendum on a proposed reform of the country’s judiciary.

Undersecretary Andrea Delmastro resigned ‌after it emerged he had held a stake in a restaurant linked to the mafia, while the ministry’s chief of staff, Giusi Bartolozzi, stepped down after making controversial comments while on the campaign trail.

Bartolozzi played no ​role in the Delmastro scandal but she also tendered her resignation on Tuesday, ​a source close to the matter told Reuters.

The twin departures add to ⁠a sense of turmoil at the justice ministry in the immediate aftermath of the referendum ​rout.

Both Meloni and Justice Minister Carlo Nordio have rejected calls that they too should resign having ​failed to convince Italians of the need to revamp the country’s fiercely independent judiciary.

Delmastro, who is a member of Meloni’s Brothers of Italy party, came under scrutiny this month after daily Il Fatto Quotidiano reported ​that he had taken a stake in a Rome restaurant alongside the 18-year-old daughter of ​a man convicted of ties to the Camorra, a mafia group based around Naples.

Delmastro said he had sold ‌his ⁠stake once he learned that his business partner’s father, Andrea Caroccia, had been convicted on mob-related charges.

But his position worsened after a 2023 photograph was uncovered showing him alongside Caroccia, suggesting the two men knew each other well.

It also emerged that Delmastro had not declared his business ​stake to parliament, as ​required.

In his resignation ⁠statement on Tuesday, Delmastro said he had made a mistake but had done nothing unlawful.

“I have always fought crime and achieved concrete, important ​results. Although I did nothing wrong, I made an error of judgment, ​which I ⁠corrected as soon as I became aware of it. I take responsibility for that,” he said.

The scandal hung over the final days of campaigning for the referendum, giving the opposition an easy ⁠opportunity to ​criticise the government’s handling of the justice ministry.

Bartolozzi also ​drew criticism during the campaign when she urged voters to back the reform so Italy could “get rid of” a ​judiciary she described as a “firing squad”.