Meloni appoints Alessandro Giuli as new culture minister.

Italy's premier Giorgia Meloni on Friday accepted the "irrevocable" resignation of culture minister Gennaro Sangiuliano after he became embroiled in a scandal over an advisor role for his former mistress.

The controversy erupted at the end of August when Maria Rosaria Boccia, a 41-year-old social media influencer and fashion entrepreneur, publicly thanked Sangiuliano for appointing her as an advisor for major events, a claim denied by the minister who said his ministry never gave her "a euro, not even a coffee".

In his resignation letter to the prime minister on Friday, Sangiuliano said he deemed it "necessary for the institutions and for myself" to step down, saying that his honour was at stake and that he wished to demonstrate his "absolute transparency and correctness, without involving the government".

Ringrazio sinceramente Gennaro Sangiuliano, una persona capace e un uomo onesto, per lo straordinario lavoro svolto finora, che ha permesso al Governo italiano di conseguire importanti risultati di rilancio e valorizzazione del grande patrimonio culturale italiano, anche fuori…— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) September 6, 2024

Sangiuliano, 62, defended his record as minister and insisted that "not one euro" of ministry funds were spent on "improper activities", before pledging to "take action against those who have published fake news in recent days".

In a tearful TV interview on Wednesday night, Sangiuliano admitted having an affair with Boccia and said that he had revoked her appointment as a ministerial advisor to avoid a conflict of interest due to their romantic relationship.

Sangiuliano reiterated that no public money was spent on expenses related to Boccia's participation at official events, claiming that he paid for everything with his personal credit card, and that Boccia had no access to classified information relating to the upcoming G7 culture summit.

Boccia, who accompanied the minister to multiple events around Italy over the summer, has publicly disputed Sangiuliano's claims in recent days, both on social media and in interviews.

Questa sera, al Palazzo del Quirinale, ha prestato giuramento nelle mani del Presidente della Repubblica, Sergio #Mattarella, il Ministro della cultura, Sig. Alessandro #Giuli. @ultimora_pol pic.twitter.com/lZqLD5PmdW

— Ultimora.net - POLITICS (@ultimora_pol) September 6, 2024

In a statement on Friday, Meloni wrote: "I sincerely thank Gennaro Sangiuliano, a capable person and an honest man, for the extraordinary work done so far, which has allowed the Italian government to achieve important results in the relaunch and enhancement of the great Italian cultural heritage, even outside the national borders."

Meloni announced that Sangiuliano would be replaced by conservative journalist Alessandro Giuli, 48, who has been the president of the MAXXI national museum of 21st century arts in Rome for almost two years.

From Rome, Giuli studied philosophy at La Sapienza and has a background in journalism with right-leaning newspapers Il Foglio and Libero. He is a regular guest on television shows devoted to politics and current affairs.