Mattarella has talks with Meloni on justice reforms

(see related) (ANSA) - ROME, JUL 14 - President Sergio Mattarella and Premier Giorgia Meloni had an hour-long meeting on Thursday and the talks focused on Justice Minister Carlo Nordio's reforms, sources said.
    The ruling majority said the meeting took place "without tension".
    Nordio's reforms have been heavily criticised by Italian magistrates union ANM.
    The tension between the government and the judiciary has also been fed by cases involving members of Meloni's rightwing Brothers of Italy (FdI) party - Tourism Minister Daniela Santanche, Justice Undersecretary Andrea Delmastro and Senate Speaker Ignazio La Russa.
    Santanche is being probed over allegations regarded her business activities, Delmastro is under investigation over an alleged leak of classified information and La Russa's son has been accused of rape by a young woman.
    The decision by a judge to throw out a request from prosecutors for the case against Delmastro to be shelved was followed by government sources saying that some parts of the judiciary had joined the opposition, suggesting there was a strategy to damage the ruling coalition ahead of next year's European elections.
    At the end of this week's NATO summit, Meloni criticised the fact that Santanche had not received notification that she is under investigation and the decision to make prosecutors pursue the case against Delmastro.
    But she also distanced herself from La Russa, who issued a statement defending his son and calling into question the alleged victim's version of events on grounds she had taken cocaine.
    "As a mother I can understand the suffering of the Senate speaker, although I would not have intervened on the merits of the issue," Meloni told reporters.
    One issue that has raised concern is Nordio's comments about the possibility of changing the crime of external involvement in mafia association.
    On Thursday Cabinet Secretary Alfredo Mantovano said this was not on the agenda.
    "The government won't take any steps backwards on organized crime," Mantovano said.
    "There are other priorities". (ANSA).