League suspends two MPs in COVID benefit case

(ANSA) - ROME, 13 AGO - Matteo Salvinii's opposition rightwing League party has suspended two MPs who are suspected of being among a handful of lawmakers to claim a benefit designed to help the self-employed during the coronavirus emergency.
    The MPs are Elena Murelli and Andrea Dara.
    A huge outcry has broken out after it emerged that many politicians, including at least three parliamentarians, claimed the 600-euro benefit.
    "We are staying consistent with our principles," Salvini said on Thursday.
    "Even it is six cents, if you do wrong, you must pay.
    "I hope the other parties are equally rigorous. We have suspended ours".
    The lawmakers reportedly were able to claim the benefit because they also had active value-added tax accounts.
    The cases of the lawmakers and hundreds of local councillors were reportedly uncovered by the anti-fraud unit of pensions and social security agency INPS.
    INPS was reportedly unable to press charges though as technically the well-paid MPs did not break the law.
    But their conduct was clearly against the spirit of the legislation and there have been bipartisan calls for INPS to release the names of the MPs involved.
    INPS sources said Monday that privacy rules prevented them from doing this.
    But on Tuesday Italy's privacy watchdog said that the nation's privacy rules do not prevent the publication of the names of the beneficiaries if "it is not possible to identify a condition of social-economic hardship in the interested party".
    It added that this was even more the case when the people involved carried out public functions.
    INPS President Pasquale Tridico, who has come under heavy fire over the agency's handling of the case, is set to report to the Lower House's labour committee on Friday and may reveal the names of the MPs involved then. (ANSA).