The Italian leader, however, has publicly stood by her Cabinet member. “I trust Nordio,” she said, ruling out “any possibility of resignations.”
President Sergio Mattarella’s office, which formally approved the pardon in February, has asked the justice ministry for urgent clarification following concerns about possible irregularities in the information supporting the request. The Italian authorities have called in Interpol to make enquiries.
An investigation published by Il Fatto Quotidiano examined the circumstances surrounding Minetti’s case, including speculation that elements of the documentation presented to obtain the pardon were incomplete or inaccurate.
How we got here
Plucked from obscurity by Berlusconi to serve as a city councilor in Milan, Minetti became a central figure in the long-running legal saga surrounding his sex parties, including his trial for sex with an underage nightclub dancer known as Ruby “the Heart Stealer.”
After years of legal battles, Minetti was sentenced to prison for procuring prostitutes and embezzlement. In the intervening years, she rebuilt her life in Uruguay with a new partner, heir to the wealthy restaurateur Cipriani dynasty, and sought clemency on humanitarian grounds, saying her adopted son needed specialist hospital care.
The justice ministry approved the argument after asking for a verification of information and the legal opinion of Milan’s attorney general. The ministry then approved the request and passed the dossier to Mattarella’s office, which gave final approval.