Premier Giorgia Meloni said on
Thursday she had asked for a lawmaker of her Brothers of Italy
(FdI) to be referred to party arbitrators and suspended in
relation to a shot that was allegedly fired accidentally from a
gun he was carrying after a New year's eve party on Monday
morning and which injured a man in the leg.
"I have asked that (Emanuele) Pozzolo be referred to FdI's board
of arbitrators independently of the investigations being carried
out by the competent authority and that he be suspended from the
party pending judgement," Meloni told reporters during her
end-of-year press conference in Rome.
Pozzolo, 38, has been placed under investigation for grievous
bodily harm after a bullet grazed the thigh of the 31-year-old
son-in-law of the bodyguard of FDI Justice Undersecretary Andrea
Delmastro, also at the party, although he claims he did not fire
it.
He took a gunshot residue test the day after the incident, whose
result has yet to be made public.
Pozzolo used his parliamentary immunity to refuse the
confiscation of his clothing.
There have been opposition calls for Pozzolo to resign or for
Meloni to fire him.
"On the leadership class of my party, there is always someone
you don't expect and they make mistakes or do wrong things," the
premier told reporters.
"But I am not prepared to live this life if people around me do
not feel responsibility," she continued.
"Because of the responsibility we have, and I feel that
responsibility, I intend to be very strict," said Meloni.
Pozzolo has in the past posted on social media photos of
Mussolini, and said he is a "reactionary" who is in favour of
"defending ourselves with firearms".
Later Wednesday police said they were proceeding to confiscate
another six firearms owned by Pozzolo.
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