Anti-mafia, chaos breaks out upon Emiliano’s summons. “Inopportune”, usual cry of the left –

The president of the Puglia region Michele Emiliano considers the call to the Anti-Mafia commission to be “inappropriate” for political reasons, but the call still arrives for May 2nd at 10.30am. The letter in which the governor explains the reasons for the inappropriateness of the hearing – given the current political situation at regional level – was read this morning in the commission by president Chiara Colosimo. Emiliano had been given a range of five possible dates to be audited. The first three, as also requested by the Democratic Party, were proposed for next week, but the governor had said he could not participate due to the concomitance of the vote of no confidence. Then he was given options for April 30 and May 2. Last April 24th, in the evening, Emiliano wrote the note citing reasons of political inappropriateness for the days of May 7th, 8th and 9th. President Colosimo convened a bureau this morning at 9.30 to read the communication and assessed, without going into the merits, that failure to convene would have created a dangerous precedent of avoiding the convocation. Hence the decision then taken to set the meeting for Thursday 2 May.

In the letter sent to the president of the parliamentary anti-mafia inquiry commission, President Emiliano writes: «Distinguished President of the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the phenomenon of mafias and other criminal associations, including foreign ones, I learn from the secretariat of the Commission chaired by you of the Commission’s desire to proceed to my audition on the alternative dates of May 7, 8 or 9. Unfortunately, the Regional Council meeting is scheduled for May 7th in which the motion of no confidence presented by the opposition against me will begin to be discussed. This circumstance risks creating an involuntary connection, I repeat although without anyone’s will, between my hearing and the council debate on trust”.

«I believe that it is everyone’s duty to avoid a mix between the investigative needs of the Commission and the council dynamics immediately preceding and following the vote of confidence. Also in order to avoid political exploitation, always possible by the majority or the opposition, of such an important hearing”, he continues. «The serenity of the very important Regional Council session must therefore also be ensured with the collaboration of the Anti-Mafia Commission whose purpose, as I know well, is certainly not to amplify the political controversy connected to the discussion of the motion of no confidence. As with any third party, the Commission must not only be third party (and no one doubts this), but it must also appear as such. I trust that my request dictated only by my responsibility for the best functioning of the institutions of the Puglia Region will be accepted”, concludes the governor of Puglia. But as mentioned, the call is official: «On Thursday 2 May, at 10.30 am, in the Chamber on the fifth floor of Palazzo San Macuto, the parliamentary commission of inquiry into the phenomenon of mafias and other criminal associations, including foreign ones, will carry out the hearing of Michele Emiliano, President of the Puglia Region”.