The Sangiuliano-Boccia case is enriched with new details. The latest concerns an exchange of messages between the then Minister of Culture with the woman and with Alfonso Signorini, director of the weekly Whopublished by the Mondadori Group, which is owned by the Berlusconi family.
The facts date back to last August 4, when Maria Rosaria Boccia was still unknown to the general public. Signorini warns Sangiuliano that he has been offered some photographic services portraying the minister in the company of the woman: one in particular also gives the news of the separation between the minister himself and his wife.
The director of Who he tells Sangiuliano that he has bought the service, thus withdrawing it from the market, but that he will not publish it (in reality Signorini will not complete the purchase). The Minister of Culture thanks him and reports the conversation to Boccia, telling her that the photos will not be released thanks to his relationship with the journalist: “I did him a great favor”, he writes in a message. And this is precisely the most delicate point of the story: which favor was the then minister referring to?
The chats were revealed today, Thursday 3 October The Daily Fact. “Dearest Gennaro, here I am”, writes Signorini in an email. “I wanted to let you know that for a couple of weeks I have been receiving photo shoots of you in the company of your assistant (in the restaurant, on the street…)”.
“Nothing compromising,” specifies the director of Who: “The only thing is that one of these agencies, together with the photos, sold the news that you have separated from your wife, that you have taken away your wedding ring and that you are having an affair with your assistant. I purchased the service so that it wouldn’t go around. Regardless of the validity of the news (which doesn’t interest me but some ‘friendly’ press does) I wanted you to know, because most likely they won’t give up and will monitor you during the summer. Best regards!!!!!!”.
Having received the email, Sangiuliano immediately informs Boccia via message: “I received an email from Alfonso Signorini, director of Who. Do you want to read it?”, he writes.
“Should I be afraid?” she asks. And then: “Does he want money from you?”. “No,” replies the minister. “Luckily I did him a great favor. And in any case they are not compromising photos.”
Then Sangiuliano forwards his response to Signorini to Boccia: “Thank you very much, I have read – we read -. You are a friend. Obviously it’s all unfounded. This is a person who has a boyfriend and collaborates with me. I’m with my wife for a weekend and we’ll be together all summer. A big hug.”
“We have a lot of envy. Even our friendship attracts jealousy”, writes the minister to the woman, warning her of the risks they run in being seen out and about together.
At this point it should be remembered that, in an interview given to the newspaper The Press on September 6, Boccia had said that there are “some people who are blackmailing the minister for benefits they have received” and had specifically referred to “editors of weeklies”.
The first photo shoot on Sangiuliano and the entrepreneur was published in the weekly People on September 3. The authors of the shots are Alex Fiumara and Max Scarpone, who reconstructs The Daily Fact – already in mid-July they had delivered the work to the Mantis Media agency for which they work. The service was proposed to Who ea Diva and Womana weekly newspaper of the Cairo Group, but both had rejected it.
To the newspaper directed by Marco Travaglio, Signorini explains the decision not to purchase the service as follows, contrary to what he had written to Sangiuliano: “When I learned that we had to spend 12 thousand euros for photos that meant nothing and with a lady who I was a stranger and I changed my mind,” says the director.
But here we are at the other real crux of the matter: the alleged “great favor” that Sangiuliano told Boccia he had done for Signorini. “I don’t remember whether or not I wrote this thing…”, replies the former minister, when questioned by the Daily Fact. “I have never had any favors from Signorini, of any kind. When I was a journalist, we exchanged a few courtesies… from journalist to journalist. You too will have done it to your newspaper.”
“I – continues Sangiuliano – Signorini know him because he is the director, he has never asked me anything. Perhaps, if I think about it carefully, the great favor could be the review I had him do of Maria Callas’ book, I don’t remember whether on Tg1 or Tg2… But this was when I wasn’t a minister”.
The director of Chi, however, is irritated by the ex-minister’s version: “Now I’m even a bit dizzy that he says he did me a big favour”, he tells the Done. “I did him the big favor when Sangiuliano had written Putin’s book and I had him interviewed in my newspaper and I dedicated four pages to him when he was the director of Tg2. Those are favors that I have done, if anything… If he wants to make himself look good with this message…”.
Signorini also rejects any inference regarding his engagement as director for two dates of Puccini’s Bohème (17 and 27 July 2024) at the Verona Arena, an engagement dating back to 2023, when Sangiuliano was already at the head of the Ministry of Culture: ” I became a director, television presenter and theater director before and without Sangiuliano”, replies the person directly involved dryly Done.
And Sangiuliano also flatly denies it: “A minister – he points out – doesn’t take care of the posters of the opera-symphonic foundations, that’s decided directly by the superintendent. I, the superintendent of the Verona Arena, don’t even remember who he is, I must have spoken to him twice and never about Signorini”.
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