Corruption-probed League Transport Undersecretary Armando Siri must quit, Premier Giuseppe Conte said Thursday.
"I have always claimed for this government a high level of public ethics," he said.
He stressed that, in connection with an allegedly incriminating amendment on wind power Siri proposed after allegedly being bribed by a Sicilian wind farm king linked to Cosa Nostra's No.1 fugitive, "we as a government are responsible for discerning if these proposals are of a general nature or if they advantage the interests of someone.
Conte said that in this case the measure, which was never approved, "was not general and abstract and so I decided that the undersecretary must resign".
Conte said he would put Siri's resignation to the next cabinet meeting.
Conte said that "I don't want to set myself up as judge on the case".
The government safeguards all Italian citizens and not partial interests of one party or another, Conte said about the Siri affair.
The League, which has defended its undersecretary to the hilt, must not react in a "corporative" way to his axing, Conte said. The other government partner, the 5-Star Movement (M5S) which has called for Siri to quit to prove his innocence, should not cry victory either, Conte said.
League leader Matteo Salvini was not pleased by the news.
Conte "must explain" his decision to remove Siri, who "will show he has nothing whatsoever to do with" the alleged corruption, Salvini said.
"In a civilised society that's the way it works," he said.
Salvini said Siri should first be allowed to speak to prosecutors. Salvini added that he had not heard from Conte today.
Di Maio said "I'm not exulting and I don't think it is a victory".
Siri earlier offered to quit in 15 days unless he heard from prosecutors that the case against him had been shelved.
He said he would do so "not because I am guilty but out of profound respect for the role I hold".
Deputy Premier and Labour and Industry Minister Luigi Di Maio said Thursday that his 5-Star Movement (M5S) would not back down on calls for Siri's resignation. "The Movement will not take a step back on moral questions," Di Maio said as he presented the M5S's manifesto ahead of the European elections.
"Anyone who is an undersecretary must respect the rules, whether they are in the Movement or in an allied party.
"This must be clear". Conte had a hotly awaited face-to-face meeting late on Monday with Transport and Infrastructure Undersecretary Siri.
The case has caused considerable tension within the coalition government and Conte had said he would decide what to do.
While Salvini stood by Siri, the other coalition partner, the anti-graft M5S, continued to press hard for Siri to step down while he proves his innocence.
Siri denies any wrongdoing in a case about an amendment for wind energy that did not get approved. He is being probed over an alleged 30,000 euro bribe from Sicilian wind farm king Vito Nicastri, who has been linked to Cosa Nostra's No.1 fugitive Matteo Messina Denaro. Siri says he never met Nicastri, or the alleged middleman, League linked businessman Paolo Arata, a former MP for Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party. Siri is also under pressure due to a previous plea-bargain for fraudulent bankruptcy.
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