“Right now, the Anti-mafia commission, which has powers of investigation, is working [on the issue],” said Meloni during the signing of the Development and Cohesion Agreement between the government and the autonomous province of Trento.
“We need to see how far the Anti-Mafia Commission is able to go, then assess whether something else is needed,” she continued.
The PM’s comment referred to recent calls by Justice Minister Carlo Nordio and Defence Minister Guido Crosetto for a parliamentary commission of inquiry with investigative powers to look into the alleged abuse by Pasquale Striano of the so-called “SOS” system while he was deployed at the National Anti-mafia Prosecutor’s Department.
The system enables officials to rummage through the information stored on databases of individuals if the authorities receive a report of a suspect financial operation by them.
Striano and 13 others are under investigation in Perugia in relation to the case.
“It’s also an issue of timing,” added Meloni.
“It takes a few months to set up a new commission.
“Today, we already have a commission working on the issue and we need to make it work as well as possible.
“At the outcome of the Anti-Mafia commission’s work, it must be assessed whether other tools are needed,” repeated Meloni.
However, the PM said that is it fundamental to “get to the bottom” of the case.
“What is emerging is objectively incredible and shameful for a State under the rule of law,” she said.
The case has become political, in part because many of the public figures allegedly snooped on are on the right of the political spectrum, with the victims demanding to know if Striano was following orders from above.
National Anti-Mafia Prosecutor Melillo told the Parliamentary Anti-mafia Commission in a report last week that he thought it unlikely Striano had acted alone.
“I believe there are many elements that conflict with the idea of an action conceived and organised by a single, supposedly unfaithful officer,” he said.
“One of the central points of Perugia prosecutors will be to understand Striano’s person and system of relations,” he added.
Prosecutors believe that some of the data allegedly obtained by Striano was used for journalistic purposes, while other data may have been passed on to a private investigator or used by Striano for personal purposes.
ANSA
