When people find themselves head over heels in love with another individual, this sometimes leads them to do everything they can to woo that individual. For Gennaro Sangiuliano, this led to him losing his job as Minister of Cultural Affairs. Giorgia Meloni became the first minister of his government to resign. Although he was not free from scandals, his death was caused by a promise he made to his ex-girlfriend Maria Rosaria Boccia that he would give her a job as a consultant. Although Sangiuliano was not fired, it seemed unlikely that he would be able to continue as Minister of Cultural Affairs.
San Giuliano allegedly met Boccia in Naples and had an “emotional affair” with him. When he resigned, he also apologized to his wife for the affair. There are concerns that it is wasting money from the government. The possible evidence comes from Boccia himself, who secretly recorded himself using Sangiuliano’s Ray Ban sunglasses during official government trips. Sangiuliano has denied allegations that any government funds were spent on him and allegedly provided documents showing that Sangiuliano had paid out of his own pocket to accompany him. This appears to be true, based on the documents provided, and there is also evidence that Sangiuliano paid for a hotel room with his own money at least once. This directly contradicts his claim of “non ho mai pagato nulla” (I paid nothing). This makes Boccia an unreliable source in this case.
Maria Boccia was seen wearing Ray Ban sunglasses while recording in Parliament. The whole situation came to a head when Boccia posted on Instagram that he was a consultant for major events, but the entire staff of the Ministry of Culture denied this claim. Staff claimed they had never met him, but Boccia posted screenshots of a group chat in which he and these staff members were present, making them unreliable narrators. The scandal helped Boccia gain a following on Instagram, from 28,000 followers to well over 100,000.
What makes the situation even more shocking is that Sangiuliano is highly educated, with degrees from some of Italy’s top universities. He received a master’s degree in law from the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II, a second-level master’s degree in private European law from the Sapienza Università di Roma, and finally a doctorate in Law and Economics from the Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II. This serves as an important reminder that anyone, regardless of education level, can make serious errors of judgment.
Boccia’s Own Controversies
His ex also found himself in a difficult situation. He is currently banned from entering the Italian Parliament after he was caught filming with a spy scope inside the building. He tried to explain himself by saying he just wanted to show his social media followers around the building. This ban will remain in effect until the responsible institutions withdraw the decision.
He was supposed to give an interview to a television program called Carta Bianca, but Boccia backed out at the last minute. He claims this was not because he was nervous to tell the truth, but because he was unhappy with the conditions of the interview. Whether he can explain the situation to save face remains to be seen, but it doesn’t look good for him given that he clearly violated parliamentary rules and did not record or take photos inside. It will be interesting to see whether he comes forward for another interview or avoids it to avoid difficult questions from journalists about what really happened.
When Sangiuliano reported Boccia to the police, Boccia found himself in an even more difficult situation. This was because Boccia called Sangiuliano’s wife and told her that he was having an affair with her. Sangiuliano claims his wife threatened him, and it is illegal to do so against a politician. However, there is a photo of him with a scratch on his forehead from an alleged fight between 16 and 17 July, followed by a message from Sangiuliano in which he writes “me hai fatto diventare una iena” (you turned me into a hyena); which suggests he potentially physically attacked her. Boccia risks up to seven years in prison for this. But that didn’t stop him, despite his smartphone being confiscated, Boccia continued to post more details on social media. Police officers also seized two phones, a desktop computer and nine USB sticks with a total of 600 gigabytes of memory space from his home.
Ultimately, although Boccia’s behavior was not perfect, much of the responsibility lies with Sangiuliano, who was in power to serve his country as a member of the government. While it is possible that Boccia tried to use their brief relationship as leverage to gain a position for himself, he is guilty of putting himself in such a situation.
Solution
It is important to make sure that we think with our brain and not our heart or lower level when it comes to our work. Sangiuliano has tarnished his reputation forever and sets an important example that we must be very careful about making promises to partners that could put our business at risk. For Sangiuliano, pursuing this love interest not only significantly damaged his reputation, but also cost him 4,500 euros a month after taxes had already been deducted. This example shows that everyone, regardless of education level, can make serious mistakes. The most serious aspect of this situation is that when people in power make bad choices that affect them personally, they run the risk of harming their entire nation as well. This case continues to develop and more details may be available about what exactly happened between Sangiuliano and Boccia. Due to the lies of the parties involved, it is still difficult to understand the situation.
