And now the League intends to put Mario Roggero forward as a candidate. Even Vannacci is more cautious

Less than forty-eight hours have passed since the ruling confirming Mario Roggero’s conviction, yet the Lega has already stated that it is considering putting the jeweller forward as a candidate. The party is even keen to make this known, issuing a statement confirming what has been circulating in recent days. It reads: “We are working on every front to support Mario Roggero. In addition to the campaign for a pardon, the party is considering a possible candidacy” if “the legal requirements are met”. It is regrettable that such "requirements" are unlikely ever to be met, even if a pardon were to be granted by the President of the Republic: a sentence such as his – 14 years and 9 months for multiple murders – results in the forfeiture of all political rights, which includes the right to stand for election. Meanwhile, the jeweller turned himself in today at Bollate prison and said: “I’m expecting a pardon; for me, this is a life sentence.”

"President Mattarella has pardoned a people-smuggler who killed thirty people; he has pardoned Minetti; I think he should search his conscience," said Mario Roggero as he entered Bollate prison. He turned himself in only today, two days after the verdict, and "expects" to be pardoned by the Head of State. Both his wife and the Minister of Justice, Carlo Nordio, have taken action to set in motion the procedures for granting the jeweller a pardon. The Ministry has stated that the Minister of Justice himself has initiated the preliminary investigation with a view to a possible pardon, also involving the magistrates: they will be tasked with gathering all the documentation, the opinions of the Supervisory Court and Roggero’s criminal record.

The operation was launched in coordination with the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Turin Court of Appeal yesterday afternoon. Immediately afterwards, however, a bilateral meeting took place between Nordio himself and President Sergio Mattarella. Yesterday, the Head of State received the Minister of Justice at the Quirinale to “clarify the limits of the minister’s powers” and to reiterate that the granting of a pardon is an exclusive prerogative of the President of the Republic, as confirmed by the Constitutional Court in its ruling No. 200 of 2006.

Over the last few hours, a veritable race to the right has been taking place between the minister, the centre-right parties and Futuro Nazionale, all seeking to capitalise as much as possible on public support regarding this issue. The Lega more than any other, and indeed it is the party most actively involved: between fundraising, petitions and campaigns led by its leader Matteo Salvini himself, the support is relentless. At the same time, Vannacciani supporters are also speaking out strongly on the issue (as well as organising various sit-ins across Italy).

However, unlike the Carroccio secretary, Roberto Vannacci today categorically clarified that he rules out Mario Roggero standing as a candidate: “We will try to support him in every way possible, but I do not believe that standing as a candidate for Futuro Nazionale is one of them,” the general told ANSA. He added: “We support the call for an act of clemency in his favour, the deferral of his prison sentence, and we ask that our proposal – which excludes compensation for offenders in cases where damage was suffered during the offence – be examined as soon as possible, requesting that it be given retroactive effect.” The MEP has probably read and learnt – apparently before Salvini did – that a conviction for murder and attempted murder bars a person from standing for election.

At the same time, the League, in its statement, made it known that it was “committed to organising a massive fundraising campaign to help the jeweller pay the compensation ordered by the court”. Such a large-scale mobilisation could serve to mask an ironic fact: not only was the self-defence law under which Roggero was convicted rewritten in 2019 by Matteo Salvini himself, but the provision inspired by Roggero’s case – and included in a new Security Bill approved by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday 14 July – cannot be applied to the jeweller’s case. The law – which stipulates that those who commit offences such as robbery, bag-snatching, kidnapping or rape can no longer claim compensation for damages from those who injure them in self-defence, even when that reaction exceeds the limits of self-defence – has been championed by Prime Minister Meloni but will not come into force to protect the 72-year-old man from Grinzane Cavour.