With the new rules, if you are Minister of Health and your wife has a pharmaceutical company, conflict arises. Already from Tuesday of next week the Chamber will begin to vote, after the last passage expected today in committee. In addition to the controversies of M5S and FI, some doubts are also raised in the Pd area.
The Pd accelerates on the law on conflict of interest, Matteo Renzi strongly wants it, they say, and already from Tuesday next week the Chamber will start voting, after the last passage scheduled today in committee. The premier, Pd sources explain to Montecitorio, wants to bring home legislation that has always had a strong symbolic value for the Pd electorate. And patience for the crossed controversies of M5s who consider it too bland and those of Fi who consider it 'freedom'. In reality, there are also some doubts in the Democratic Party, more than one would have preferred a little longer times for a more accurate work, but the path is now decided.
The new rules will apply to members of the government, but also to parliamentarians, members of regional councils and regional councillors. “With these rules – summarizes the speaker Francesco Sanna, Pd – the Berlusconi of '94 could not have been a candidate, if not by transferring his companies to a blind trust. The conflict of interest will also concern the actual owners of the companies and not just the directors". Furthermore, the Antitrust will change, which will carry out a preventive check and which will have 5 members, 3 elected by the Chamber and 2 by the Senate, against the current 3 chosen by the presidents of the Chambers.
The Pd minority asks for more, but does not dissociate itself. Gianni Cuperlo explains: “There are things to improve, but we are on the right track. The basic fact is that up to now it had to be demonstrated that a given government act produced a conflict of interest, with the new rules if you are Minister of Health and your wife has a pharmaceutical company, the conflict arises”. In the classroom, however, the left Pd will try to correct some points. For example, explains Andrea Giorgis, “we need the nullity of acts in conflict of interest, as it was at the beginning. The fine foreseen now is not enough”. Similarly "second-degree relatives of members of the government must present a declaration of assets, other than privacy issues as some say...". Drastic Danilo Toninelli (M5s): "It is a law that is the older sister of Berlusconi's".
Related news: Maurizio Sacconi and his wife Enrica Giorgetti. Healthcare in 4 hands
Ed.: we recall that we had a Minister of Health whose wife was the General Manager of Farmindustria. And he didn't feel the slightest bit of embarrassment or shame!
