A councillor tasked with reviewing certain residency applications was contacted directly by the people concerned. According to the councillor himself, his mobile phone number had reportedly been passed on by the private secretary of a Secretary of State. This is the case raised by Matteo Zeppa (Rete) in the Foreign Affairs Committee, shortly before the session moved into closed session precisely to examine the residency applications.
Zeppa publicly stated that he had received private contacts from people directly interested in some of the applications examined by the Committee. The councillor explained that, when assessing a residency request, he pays particular attention to two elements above all: any criminal record of the applicant and the presence of debts owed to the State.
It was precisely some of the positions taken during the review of the applications that reportedly led to the subsequent contacts. Zeppa strongly objected to the fact that his personal number had been made available to the parties directly concerned, allowing them to reach him outside institutional settings.
The most serious moment came when the councillor explained where his contact details had reportedly originated. According to what was reported in the Committee, the number was allegedly provided by the private secretary of a Secretary of State. Zeppa did not publicly name the person involved, but specified that it was not one of the Secretaries of State present in the Committee at that time.
“I won’t accept being pushed around by people with criminal records or debts to the State,” said Zeppa, also calling into question the current system of closed-door sessions. The councillor proposed considering a return to public discussion of the applications, concluding: “Because I’m not playing along with these games.”
The accusation prompted an immediate reaction from the Committee chairman, Michele Muratori, who described the episode as “a deplorable matter.” Muratori pointed out that the closed-door format exists to protect particularly sensitive information contained in the applications, such as income, assets, banking data and situations involving minors. At the same time, he reiterated that whatever emerges during closed sessions must remain within the Committee, and assured that steps would be taken to prevent similar situations from happening again.
Other committee members also weighed in on the matter. Antonella Mularoni, Nicola Renzi and Matteo Righi expressed solidarity with Zeppa, turning what was meant to be a preliminary step before the review of residency applications into one of the most tense moments of the session.
