Pressure over Council of XII cases, Zeppa: “They contact me on my mobile. I won’t play these games”

Matteo Zeppa (Rete): I feel compelled to make this statement, which I already made in the Council of XII. There, a regime of confidentiality applies among councillors, Their Excellencies pro tempore and the other parties involved; here, however, you proposed and voted for a closed session, which I opposed from the outset. Precisely for this reason, I believe it is necessary to repeat publicly what I already said in the Council of XII. You know that I try to carry out my role in a political and, at the very least, conscientious manner. When certain residency requests come in, my assessments are based on the documentation brought to the attention of all commissioners and, in particular, on two elements that I consider decisive: any criminal record, based on Gendarmerie certificates, and the existence of debts owed to the State. What I will not accept is being contacted privately on my mobile phone for having dealt — moreover under a regime of secrecy — with cases in which one of these two elements emerged, or, in some cases, both. I will not accept being pressured by people with criminal records or debts to the State. Precisely because we are operating under secrecy, I consider it even more serious that this can happen. I have been a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee since 2012, and those who have been here since then know that I have always expressed my positions clearly, and I will continue to do so. But if my mobile number is passed on by the private secretary of a Secretary of State — and I exclude those present here — then I will not accept it. This is why I am once again asking that the secrecy regime be lifted. The issues I raise concerning these cases are tied to precise criteria: criminal records and debts to the State. I do not want to receive messages, through intermediaries, about the positions I take in this country of silence and complicity, because the documents speak for themselves. If the rules are the same for everyone, they must be so fully. I may have made many mistakes in my assessments, but if these are the criteria I use, I will not compromise on my ability to express my positions, whether publicly or under secrecy. And above all, I will not accept that my mobile number be passed on to someone with an interest in the cases we are called upon to examine. I do not accept these rules. This does not concern you, Secretary, and I will have the opportunity to explain elsewhere who I am referring to, but it is a way of operating that I will not accept. My proposal, therefore, is very simple: not from today, since the agenda has already been set, but from the next session onward, I ask that these meetings be held in public session. In this way, if anyone needs to respond to my observations, they will do so publicly and address the substance: whether or not there are debts owed to the State, and whether or not there are criminal records. I am a hothead, but I am at a certain age now and have started to reason things through. If something like this had happened to me ten years ago, I probably wouldn’t be here — I’d be somewhere else. That is why I won’t accept it. And the same applies to the Council of XII: if a regime of confidentiality applies, I will not accept being subsequently contacted by the applicants whose requests are being examined. I have my own approach: it may be right or wrong, but it is mine, and I pursue it based on the elements made available to me. I apologize, Mr. President, if I have taken advantage of this final public moment, but I felt it necessary to say this so that those listening, or those who will be informed of my words, know clearly where I stand. Because I will not play these games.