Ricci is under investigation for foster care arrangements by the municipality of Pesaro. Conte urges him to clarify.

Former Pesaro mayor Matteo Ricci , the center-left candidate for president of the Marche region, has received a notice of investigation as part of the investigation into alleged irregularities in foster care arrangements by the municipality of Pesaro during the previous legislature, when he was mayor.

Ricci himself announced the news in a video posted on social media, saying he was "surprised," "embittered," but "calm" and "not involved in the events." "I've never been involved in public procurement; I've always trusted my managers and collaborators blindly," he explained. Prosecutors, he said, accuse him of having received not financial benefits but "political consensus."

"Surprisingly," Ricci says in the video, "this morning I received a notice of investigation regarding the long-running issue of foster care, the murals, the parties, and Valentino Rossi's helmet, which has been in the press for a year now."

"I'm surprised because in my life, in 15 years of administration," he adds, "I've never dealt with public contracts or works, and I've always blindly trusted my managers and collaborators, as I did in this case. I've repeated this for months, and I'll repeat it to the prosecutor, whom I hope to see as soon as possible. Moreover, the accusation is curious because it alleges that I didn't obtain any financial benefit, but rather that I did obtain a benefit in terms of political consensus," Ricci continues, "and they allege something I deny: that I knew about these associations, when in fact I never had any direct involvement with them."

The former mayor of Pesaro feels "untroubled about the merits." "I've spoken to my lawyer about it," he says, "but I'm also very bitter and angry because this comes the day after elections were called, following a year of investigations. It's clear there's bitterness and anger." "As always, I have faith in the judiciary's work," the center-left presidential candidate concludes, "and I'm convinced we'll quickly dismantle these accusations because we're not involved in the facts. When a mayor governs, he has a lot of collaborators: if one collaborator makes a mistake, the mayor is the injured party, because trust has been betrayed."

FdI attacks: "Inescapable political responsibilities"

"On a strictly judicial level, it's not up to politicians to pronounce: for him, as for every citizen, the constitutional principle of presumption of innocence until a final verdict applies. The level of political responsibilities, from which Ricci cannot escape, is different. These responsibilities are rooted in his administrative past," stated Antonio Baldelli , a member of Parliament for the Brothers of Italy party.

Conte: “Let him clarify”

"We acknowledge the notice of investigation received by Matteo Ricci and the statements he has just made. As the Five Star Movement, we respect the autonomous and independent work of the judiciary and do not underestimate the accusations contained in the notice of investigation. However, we reserve the right to thoroughly evaluate the charges against Ricci to determine whether he is simply being accused of improper municipal spending or whether there are elements of dishonest conduct that led to undue personal advantages—conduct that would be incompatible with our principles and values." Five Star Movement leader Giuseppe Conte stated in a statement. "We hope the interested party will clarify this matter with the judicial authorities as soon as possible," he concluded, "so as to dispel any doubts and be able to conduct the next election campaign with complete peace of mind."