Rome prosecutors have opened a
probe into the expenses of Mayor Ignazio Marino after the
right-wing Brothers of Italy (FdI) party and the
anti-establishment 5-Star Movement (M5S) filed petitions, ANSA
sources said Tuesday.
At the moment no one is under investigation in relation to
the probe.
On Monday the Rome city council said it will sue anyone
who keeps up an "offensive campaign" against Marino regarding
his travel expenses.
The mayor's budget and spending are posted online in the
interests of transparency, and "any other version of events is
offensive, politically motivated, and baseless," the city
statement said.
A city council member from the FdI party announced Monday
it is putting together a report on the mayor's spending with the
city's credit card, alleging its credit limit was raised from
10,000 to 50,000 euros in September 2013.
Another rightwing politician, Francesco Storace, alleged
on Facebook that the mayor used the city's credit card to pay
for "unbearable Saturday and Sunday lunches and dinners near his
home".
The opposition has vociferously criticized Marino's
frequent missions abroad, from which he returned with 13 million
euros in donations from foreign patrons to restore Rome's
crumbling monuments.
The mayor's office said in a statement later in the day
that Marino spends an average of 1,789 euros a month on
diplomacy and PR-related expenses, using the city's credit card.
The mayor's office added that in 2014, the city spent a
total of 128,028.10 euros on such expenses - which include items
such as the mayor's missions abroad, but also the minting of
commemorative medals, gifts for visiting international
delegations, and the anointing oil the city traditionally buys
to celebrate Saint Francis.
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