Row over 'culture minister's advisor' continues

(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 3 - A row over an influencer and her controversial role as the culture minister's advisor continued on Tuesday. The woman at the centre of the storm, Maria Rosaria Boccia, disputed the government's version of events according to which her appointment as advisor to Culture Minister Gennaro Sangiuliano for major events including a G7 culture summit was reconsidered.
    "Are we sure there wasn't an appointment?", Boccia wrote on Instagram.
    She contested Sangiuliano's version of events according to which the culture ministry did not pay her any money as an advisor.
    "Never spent a euro of the ministry? I never paid for anything, I was always told the ministry paid back advisors' expenses" and "all trips were always organized by the minister's cabinet chief", Boccia told Turin daily La Stampa.
    Boccia also disputed claims that she had never taken part in operational meetings on the G7 culture meeting in Pompeii, scheduled to be held on September 19-21.
    "So we never held operational meetings? Inspections? We never exchanged information?", said Boccia.
    On Monday, Italy's opposition parties called for the cabinet to clarify reports that Boccia, who allegedly did not have security clearance, was involved in email exchanges containing reserved information about the organization of this month's G7 Culture meeting.
    "Is the Culture G7 still safe?" said Irene Manzi, the head of the Democratic Party (PD) delegation on the Lower House's culture committee, calling on the foreign and interior ministries to look into this. (ANSA).