Fabrizio Corona, founder of the Dillingernews website, faces a defamation case after insinuating that Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni was having an affair with Manlio Messina, an MP in her Brothers of Italy party. Prosecutors allege Corona promoted an untrue story based on absolutely unfounded claims and altered photographs, including three digitally modified images out of five. The affair allegations were published in October 2023, shortly after Meloni ended her relationship with Andrea Giambruno, a television presenter whose behavior was caught on camera. Dillingernews framed the alleged relationship as rumors from Catania. Corona denies wrongdoing and is summoned to meet Meloni face-to-face. The hearing is scheduled at Palazzo Chigi in Rome after Meloni requested the venue due to her schedule.
"Fabrizio Corona, who once ran a stable of paparazzi photographers, is the founder of a website that claimed the Italian prime minister was in a romantic relationship with Manlio Messina. Mr Corona is accused of digitally altering photos to make the pair look like a couple. The allegations of an affair came in October, 2023, a month after Ms Meloni had broken up with her partner, the father of her young daughter."
"Dillingernews, the website founded by Mr Corona, suggested that while "it was all over" with Mr Giambruno, Ms Meloni had taken a shine to Mr Messina, a Sicilian politician who at the time was an MP in her conservative Brothers of Italy party. "Whispers from Catania," the website reported. "The prime minister is in a relationship with one of the ambitious new politicians from the island. "He is handsome, capable and in a hurry. Is it he who has brought love back to the premier's broken heart?""
"Mr Corona is accused by prosecutors in the case of "promoting the untrue story" that the prime minister was having an affair, with the report based on "absolutely unfounded" claims and "altered photographs". He denies wrongdoing. The case is to be heard at the prime minister's office in Rome, with Mr Corona summoned to meet Ms Meloni face-to-face. In what the Italian media has described as "an unusual judicial scenario", Ms Meloni exercised her right as prime minister to argue that the hearing should be held in Palazzo Chigi, instead of in a court in Milan, because of her busy schedule."
Read at Irish Independent
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