Ranucci is suing Judge Forleo over her Facebook post

The journalist Sigfrido Ranucci has instructed his lawyers to take legal action against the magistrate Clementina Forleo following a post published on Facebook on Sunday 16 August. ANSA has learnt this from sources close to the journalist. Forleo was quick to respond: ‘My post, as clarified in the comments, was merely a reflection on a news item that appeared in *Il Foglio*, written by Carmelo Caruso and subsequently shared by Salvo Sottile on his Facebook page. To my knowledge, the person concerned has never denied it. In a state governed by the rule of law, everyone is accountable for their own conduct, including the legal actions they take.”

Forleo, a judge at the Rome Court of Appeal, asked: ‘Who is blackmailing Ranucci? Why is he so determined to stay at the helm of *Report* (a public service programme) at all costs, threatening to leak his chat messages to “everyone”? And who is this ‘everyone’ she’s talking about?’ These statements prompted the presenter to take legal action.

Ranucci’s lawyer, Roberto De Vita, said: ‘Any action that Rai might take at this time against Sigfrido Ranucci, and therefore the programme *Report*, would inevitably be tainted by falsehoods which, despite the judicial authorities’ clear and unequivocal position regarding the victim and his lack of awareness, have been relentlessly fuelled by specious controversies, even within the organisation itself’. Today, 19 August, the daily newspaper *Libero* claims that Rai has decided to relieve Ranucci of his role as presenter of *Report* and to consider another suitable position for him within the organisation.

According to the leader of the Fratelli d’Italia group in the Chamber of Deputies, Galeazzo Bignami, ‘it is surreal that Sigfrido Ranucci, instead of clarifying the many grey areas surrounding his conduct, is taking legal action against magistrate Clementina Forleo, who, by virtue of her experience, has highlighted a series of irregularities concerning the Ranucci-Lavitola case. What will the ANM do now? Will it defend a magistrate against Ranucci’s arrogant attack, or will it give another standing ovation to the close friend of the convicted criminal Lavitola?’ The former Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte (M5S), offered a contrasting view: “Meloni gives interviews to claim that ‘Italia is stronger than before’ and are trying to cover up the economic crisis by enlisting all the newspapers and TV channels they control to sling mud round the clock at the editorial team of an investigative programme such as Report, which has been a real thorn in the side of the Government. Let’s remain vigilant: *Report* and its investigations are not a problem for Italians, but only for politicians who cannot tolerate investigative journalism.”