Di Maio blasts 'lies' over Carige help

(ANSA) - Rome, January 8 - Deputy Premier and Labour and Industry Minister Luigi Di Maio said Tuesday that members of the opposition, centre-left Democratic Party (PD) and some newspapers were lying about the government's intervention to help troubled bank Carige. "How many lies in the newspapers and from (ex-premier and former PD leader Matteo) Renzi and (ex-minister Maria Elena) Boschi," 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader Di Maio said.
    "We haven't given a euro to the banks.
    "Do you think these failed politicians and the media would continue to wage war on us? "Wake up!!!". Premier Giuseppe Conte's government approved a decree to support Carige late on Monday. The decree means the lender will be able to have State guarantees for future bond issues and loans from the Bank of Italy. It will also be able to request a State-backed precautionary recapitalisation if necessary. The two ruling parties, the M5S and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini's League, were both highly critical of interventions to rescue troubled banks by PD-led administrations in the past.
    "Salvini and Di Maio should be ashamed," said ex-premier and former PD leader Matteo Renzi. "All it took was a 10-minute nighttime cabinet meeting to belie five years of insults and lies against us". Salvini defended the government's position. "While Renzi and (former reform minister and former cabinet secretary) Boschi ignored and forgot savers, we intervened immediately to defend them without doing any favours for the banks, for foreigners, or for friends of friends," Salvini said.
    Boschi's father was a former executive of one of the banks involved in an operation by Renzi's government.