Italian minister's ex-lover banned from parliament over spy glasses

By Angelo Amante

ROME (Reuters) - The woman at the centre of an affair that led to the resignation of Italy's culture minister was banned from parliament on Tuesday for allegedly illicitly filming inside the chamber using spy glasses.

Gennaro Sangiuliano quit his post last week after admitting to having an affair with Maria Rosaria Boccia and trying to hire her as an adviser, before having second thoughts due to conflict of interest issues.

Boccia was disciplined by the lower house of parliament over videos captured with a pair of glasses equipped with a camera and microphone, through which she said she wanted to give her followers a guided tour of parliamentary corridors and rooms.

In a statement, the committee said Boccia would not be allowed in "until otherwise decided by the competent bodies", in light of the violation of the rule prohibiting the taking and circulation of photos and videos from inside the building.

"The violation affected particularly sensitive sites," the statement added.

Earlier this month, Boccia wrote on her Instagram account that she had done nothing illegal with the glasses.

The Boccia-Sangiuliano case has dominated Italian media coverage for the past two weeks, embarrassing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and forcing the first ministerial resignation since her right-wing coalition took office in late 2022.

Boccia filled her Instagram account with pictures of herself accompanying Sangiuliano to various events, and said in media interviews she had access to ministry premises and documents in her role as a consultant.

Her appointment, however, was never formalised.

Judicial sources told Reuters on Tuesday that prosecutors opened an investigation into Sangiuliano for possible misuse of public funds and disclosure of confidential information. The Court of Auditors is also looking into the case.

Sangiuliano repeatedly said no public money had been spent on Boccia and denied she had access to any classified document. He has also pledged to take legal action against his former mistress.

(Reporting by Angelo Amante, additional reporting by Marco Carta; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)