Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi on
Wednesday rejected the resignation of city planning chief Paolo
Berdini, saying he had "apologised" for a press interview
criticising her, which he denied giving.
"I rejected the resignation, with reservations, because Rome
is facing complex issues, such as zoning plans and the (AS Roma)
stadium," she said.
"Berdini didn't mean those words, he doesn't think them. I
was able to clear it up with him and he apologised.
"He was mortified for what he said."
Berdini had tendered his resignation after criticising Raggi
in an interview with La Stampa, which he denied giving.
"I reaffirm my esteem in Mayor Raggi and tender my
resignation," he said in a statement.
In the interview, which was confirmed by La Stampa, Berdini
allegedly called Raggi "unprepared" and said she had surrounded
herself by a "gang" of allegedly incompetent officials.
He also allegedly claimed she and her former cabinet chief
Salvatore Romeo were "lovers, and ill-equipped" for their jobs.
Raggi is being probed in two separate cases, over Romeo's
appointment and over the appointment of Renato Marra, brother of
her ex-right-hand man Raffaele, as city tourism chief.
Raffaele Marra was arrested in a separate corruption probe in
December.
Raggi also took flak, but is not under investigation, after
it emerged that Romeo, her former cabinet chief, made out two
life assurance policies to her, months before getting his job.
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