Marche case, the Five Star Movement isn't giving up on Ricci. Conte: "There's no reason to ask for a step back."

Five Star Movement President Giuseppe Conte spoke today at a press conference from the Movement's headquarters in Rome, addressing the legal case involving Matteo Ricci, the Democratic Party's candidate for president of the Marche Region. "There are no current reasons to ask Ricci to step down," Conte stated, emphasizing that such a request would "set a bad precedent" and "tar everyone with the same brush." The Five Star Movement leader emphasized the candidate's collaborative approach : "We appreciate the fact that he didn't complain about clockwork justice and that he didn't avail himself of his right to remain silent. If you hold public office, your first duty is maximum transparency. He responded to the prosecutors promptly and transparently. Let's let the prosecutor's office take its course."

However, Conte clarified that Ricci's support is tied to the current state of affairs : "If these elements were to change, and new facts were to emerge, we will draw the appropriate conclusions and evaluate them." To ensure further transparency, Conte announced that Ricci will be asked to formally commit to a code of ethics : "We will request, even for direct awards, advance publication of contracts on the Region's website, to ensure maximum transparency and a code of ethics that can prevent conflicts of interest. This will also be to counteract regulations introduced by this government."

The Democratic Party's gubernatorial candidate appreciated these words. " I greatly appreciated Conte's comments on the Marche region and I agree with him in strengthening the region's legality, transparency, and oversight of direct contracts, appointments, and consultancies. I thank the Five Star Movement; now let's resume the election campaign and change the Marche region together ," Ricci stated.

Enrico Borghi, vice president of Italia Viva, also weighed in on the matter, commenting to Sky: "If the center-left can demonstrate unity, maturity, and solidarity, the Ricci affair will backfire on those on the right who wanted to exploit it." Borghi called for due process: "Notices of investigation are tools to protect the person under investigation and should not be used for public ridicule. For example, regarding the president of the Sicilian Regional Assembly, Meloni's Galvagno, who received a notice of closure of his investigation and could face trial, we haven't said a word. But the right has gone wild over Ricci, starting with Italo Bocchino, who has yet to explain how he learned of Ricci's notice a month and a half in advance."

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