The President of the Senate Ignazio La Russa has initiated the procedure provided by the Regulations of Palazzo Madama in relation to Senator Francesco Silvestro, a parliamentarian of Forza Italia, to whom an entrepreneur – according to Repubblica’s reconstruction – attributed a sexual assault that occurred in his parliamentary office.
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Meeting with the Quaestors on Tuesday
La Russa, the note specifies, “learned from the press about certain circumstances related to Senator Francesco Silvestro” and, pursuant to the combined provisions of Article 67 of the Senate Regulations and Articles 2 and 8 of the code of conduct, asked the Senator Quaestors to proceed with the necessary investigations for the subsequent evaluations by the Presidency Council. A meeting between the president and the Quaestors is scheduled for Tuesday.
Article 67 of the Regulations
Procedurally, Article 67 of the Senate Regulations provides that, “for facts of particular gravity that occur within the confines of the Senate palace, but outside the Chamber,” the president may refer the case to the Presidency Council. The body, after hearing the senators concerned, may deliberate sanctions ranging from censure to prohibition from participating in Senate proceedings for a period not exceeding ten sitting days. The adopted resolutions are communicated to the Assembly and cannot be subject to discussion.
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The code of conduct referred to in Article 2 provides that senators act “with discipline and honor, respecting the principles of transparency, integrity, and responsibility, in order to prevent any action or behavior that could compromise the prestige of the Senate of the Republic.”
The rule also excludes that the senatorial office can be used to obtain “direct or indirect financial advantages or other benefits whose acceptance could lead to an alteration of the principle of freedom of mandate” sanctioned by Article 67 of the Constitution. Article 8 attributes to the Presidency Council the oversight of compliance with the code and regulates the investigative procedure: at the request of the President of the Senate, alleged cases of violation are submitted to the examination of the Presidency Council, which can delegate the Quaestors to conduct investigations in adversarial proceedings with the senator concerned. The senator concerned can appeal to the Litigation Commission against the decisions adopted.
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