Roberto Maroni

Maroni was prosecuted over alleged pressure intended to favour two former associates, notably regarding a contract with Eupolis and a trip connected to Expo. He received a one-year sentence for the Eupolis aspect in 2018, upheld on appeal in 2019.

Attribution

Accused

Course of the proceedings

1. Formally charged — Formal charge before the current outcome

A PD question at the Pirellone challenged nearly four million euros in annual communication spending by the regional presidency, much of it on advertising space. The opposition accused Maroni of using regional resources for political propaganda.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility

Maroni organised the consultative referendum on Lombardy's autonomy, using electronic voting. Its cost, approaching 50 million euros, and the usefulness of the vote were strongly disputed by opponents who argued that negotiations with Rome could have begun without this expenditure.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

As President of Lombardy, Maroni announced that he would reduce regional transfers to municipalities accepting new migrants allocated by the state and asked prefects to suspend placements. Several politicians and mayors attacked the measure as illegitimate and demagogic.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

The major Lombardy healthcare reform promoted under Maroni's presidency sparked a fierce battle in the regional council. M5S and other opponents accused it of perpetuating the Formigoni model and accelerating privatisation.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Under Maroni, Italy began intercepting migrants at sea and returning them to Libya. In 2012, the European Court of Human Rights condemned Italy in Hirsi Jamaa for violations connected to these returns.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

Person targeted by the proceedings

Italy

Role of the person profiled

Protagonist not prosecuted

Maroni was among the Lega leaders initially implicated in the lengthy investigation into the Guardia Nazionale Padana, suspected of being a paramilitary organisation linked to the 1996 secessionist project.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Directly implicated

Maroni was one of the main proponents of the 2009 security package, which notably introduced the offence of irregular entry or residence and regulated citizen patrols. Opposition parties, associations and Catholic figures condemned the law as repressive and, in some cases, discriminatory.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

The Interior Ministry under Maroni launched a census of residents of Roma camps involving fingerprinting, including children. The European Commission, UNICEF and data protection authorities raised strong objections, particularly concerning the risk of ethnic discrimination.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

During the 1996 search of Lega's headquarters in Via Bellerio, Maroni physically resisted officers. Convicted at first instance and on appeal of resisting a public official, he had his sentence of four months and twenty days converted into a financial penalty by the Court of Cassation in 2004.

State of the evidence

Established by a court

Attribution

Accused

As Labour Minister, Maroni promoted a reform providing, among other things, a sudden increase in retirement eligibility requirements, known as the 'scalone'. Trade unions condemned it as unfair and prepared a general strike.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

As Interior Minister in the first Berlusconi government, Maroni signed the Biondi decree limiting pre-trial detention for several offences, immediately condemned as 'salvaladri'. Amid the political storm, he said he had been misled about its scope and placed his position at Lega's disposal.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Political responsibility

In December 1994, Maroni led a group of Lega parliamentarians opposed to Bossi's strategy of bringing down the Berlusconi government. The dissent caused a public split at the top of the movement.

State of the evidence

Documented

Attribution

Direct responsibility