League leader and Interior Minister
Matteo Salvini reiterated Wednesday that he had never taken
money from Russia.
Responding to a Buzzfeed report on an alleged meeting between
men close to him and Kremlin officials, Salvini said "I have
already sued for libel in the past, I'll do so again today,
tomorrow and the day after tomorrow.
"I've never taken a rouble, a euro, a dollar or a litre of
vodka in funding from Russia."
Buzzfeed said that a member of Salvini's entourage, Gianluca
Savoini, met on October 18 with another five people, two
Italians and three Russians, in Moscow's historic Hotel
Metropol.
An audio file allegedly shows them "negotiating the terms of
a deal to send millions of dollars, the fruit of profits from
Russian oil, to Salvini's party, through a secret channel".
Centre-left opposition Democratic Party (PD) leader Nicola
Zingaretti called on Salvini to "clear up" the allegations
contained in the Buzzfeed report.
The League's partner the 5-Star Movement (M5S) said "the M5S
works in the interests of the Italians, not other countries!"
Salvini said after a report in Italian newsweekly L'Espresso
earlier this year that the League did not get any illegal
funding from Russia.
"Nothing has arrived nor will arrive at the League" as
concerns illegal funding," he said.
"There is no money in Luxembourg, or the Caymans or in
Switzerland. There are no roubles or yen or barrels of oil".
L'Espresso reported that the League had received millions of
euros in funding from Russia.
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