The Lower House on Thursday gave its backing to a bill establishing a commission of inquiry into the handling of the Covid emergency in Italy.
The lower chamber of parliament approved the bill with 172 votes
in favour, none against and four abstentions.
Neither the populist opposition Five Star Movement (M5S) led by
Giuseppe Conte, who was premier at the start of the pandemic,
nor the centre-left opposition Democratic Party (Pd) took part
in the vote.
The text now goes to the Senate for final approval.
After the proclamation of the result, the majority lawmakers
shouted in chorus "Truth, truth".
"This commission is a farce, it is not an act of political
courage but of cowardice," said Conte before the vote.
"You only have the strength of numbers on your side, but we do
not recognise any political and moral authority," continued
Conte, announcing that M5S lawmakers would leave the chamber for
the vote.
"This commission, in the way it has been conceived, ignoring all
the proposals of the oppositions, has only one purpose: to set
up a political tribunal to strike at the members of the
governments that preceded you," said Roberto Speranza, who was
health minister in Conte's government when Italy found itself at
the epicentre of the Covid pandemic in Europe.
Both Conte and Speranza have been implicated into two separate
investigations into Italy's level of preparedness to handle a
pandemic and the management the initial phase of the COVID-19
pandemic in the Bergamo area.
In both cases the relative ministers' tribunals shelved the
cases against them.
Conte and Speranza have said they acted in accordance with the
available scientific data and the opinions of experts.
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