MILAN, Italy – Nicole Minetti, the glamorous former aide to Silvio Berlusconi and a central figure in Italy’s notorious “bunga bunga” scandal, has bounced back into a new political controversy that is gripping the nation.
She has returned to the centre of Italy’s political debate after a presidential pardon granted to her earlier this year has exploded into the headlines to become a major judicial and political headache for Giorgia Meloni’s government.
Italian magistrates are now re-examining whether the humanitarian grounds behind Minetti’s clemency request were accurately presented, following reporting that raised doubts about key elements of her case.
The revelations prompted Sergio Mattarella, the Italian President, who signed off on the pardon in February, to take the unusual step of publicly asking the justice ministry to re-verify the file.
“The President has instructed that the necessary information be obtained as a matter of urgency in order to verify…
