Italy's tourism minister ordered to stand trial over false accounting charges at former job

ROME — A Milan judge has ordered Italy's tourism minister to stand trial on false accounting charges at her former publishing company, her lawyer said on Friday.

Daniela Santanche was among 17 people indicted on Friday over alleged false corporate communications. Her partner Dimitri Kunz and her sister Fiorella Garnero were also indicted.

Santanche had resigned from her roles in the publishing company, Visibilia, before she became minister in 2022. She denies any wrongdoing.

''It's a decision that we expected, but it still leaves a bitter taste in our mouth,'' said Santanche's lawyer Nicolo Pelanda, adding that he was confident the court would establish his client's innocence.

Milan prosecutors alleged that Santanche and her co-defendants falsified financial statements at the Visibilia publishing and advertising group from 2016 to 2022.

Santanche, 63, a lawmaker in Premier Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy party, survived a no confidence motion in the Senate over allegations that her former business failed to pay suppliers and dismissed workers without giving them redundancy payments.

Santanche told lawmakers she was innocent and vowed to clear her name.

The trial could be a new headache for Meloni, who has so far defended the troubled minister against repeated opposition calls for her resignation.