Rome Mayor Virginia Raggi said
Thursday that she was presenting a petition to prosecutors
against her former cabinet chief Salvatore Romeo after reports
that he had taken out a third life-insurance policy in which she
is the beneficiary.
"Now a third policy has emerged taken out by Mr Romeo in my
name," said Raggi, a member of the anti-establishment 5-Star
Movement who was elected Rome's first woman mayor last year.
"This one was stipulated two days after I had announced I had
received a summons to appear before Rome prosecutors.
"It is unacceptable that Mr Romeo has done something like
this. I am totally distancing myself from it.
"At this point my lawyers will present a petition to Rome
prosecutors to protect me".
Raggi, whose administration has been hit by a series of major
headaches and the loss of several top officials, had taken
further flak when it emerged that Romeo made out two life
assurance policies to her, months before getting his job.
Raggi is being probed in two separate cases, over Romeo's
appointment and wage triplication and over the appointment of
Renato Marra, brother of former personnel chief Raffaele, as
city tourism chief from being deputy head traffic cop.
Raffaele Marra was arrested in a separate corruption probe in
December.
Prosecutors had said that the fact that Romei took out two
life-assurance policies worth a total of 33,000 euros in which
Raggi was the beneficiary was not of criminal relevance.
A lawyer representing Romeo said last week that he had been
taking out life assurance policies as a form of investment for
over 20 years.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA
