Culture Minister Sangiuliano quits

(ANSA) - ROME, SEP 6 - Gennaro Sangiuliano resigned as culture minister on Friday after being embroiled in a scandal over an 'advisor' he had an affair with.
    He said his resignation was "irrevocable" in a letter to Premier Giorgia Meloni.
    Sangiuliano had been under heavy pressure to quit from the opposition after reports that influencer and businesswoman Maria Rosaria Boccia may have had access to email exchanges regarding the upcoming G7 Culture meeting. Sangiuliano, 62, admitted having a relationship with Boccia in an long interview with State broadcaster Rai on Wednesday, but denied that she had had access to classified information or that public money was spent on her.
    He said Boccia had been set to be made an official advisor for major events but he "revoked her appointment" because of the relationship between them.
    On that occasion he also said he had offered his resignation to Meloni over the case but she had declined.
    Boccia, 41, has disputed the minister's version of events.
    In the letter, Sangiuliano thanked Meloni for having defended him and for having refused his resignation the first time.
    He said he was quitting because his honour was on the line and he wanted to be able to show his "absolute transparency and correctness without involving the government".
    He would take legal action, starting with a complaint to criminal prosecutors.
    Earlier on Friday Audit Court sources said that the Sangiuliano-Boccia furore "has not gone unnoticed", adding that the State auditor was "making evaluations on the case".
    Sangiuliano's lawyer Silverio Sica said Friday that there was "no evidence that the minister has been blackmailed", adding the case was an "extremely private" one.
    The parliamentary committee that oversees Rai, meanwhile, will meet on Tuesday after opposition parties complained about the amount of airtimeTG1 news devoted to the Sangiuliano interview.
    (ANSA).