The government of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni denies bugging journalists or politicians, said the Secretary of State for the Presidency of the Council, Alfredo Mantovano. "I have never authorized, since the government took office, wiretapping of any kind targeting journalists or politicians," Mantovano said in a statement.
This statement comes after the publication of a book by journalists Luigi Bisignani and Paolo Madron, called "The Powerful in the Times of Giorgia", according to which Ms. Meloni had been "apparently informed" shortly before taking office because "several personalities" were wiretapped.
"All information deemed useful"
For his part, former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi told the daily La Repubblica that such "preventive" wiretapping could be carried out by the secret services but only if state security was in danger.
Matteo Renzi had called on Alfredo Mantovano to "clearly deny" that journalists or politicians were being wiretapped. The Secretary of State at the Presidency of the Council said he was ready to provide "all information deemed useful" to the Parliamentary Commission for the Security of the Republic (Copasir), responsible for controlling the secret services.