Former Italian premier Giuseppe Conte defends pandemic response in parliamentary inquiry

Former Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte appeared before a parliamentary inquiry commission in Rome to defend his administration's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. Conte temporarily resigned from the panel to testify, delivering an extensive defense of his government's emergency decrees, procurement protocols, and vaccination campaigns. Rebuffing allegations of misconduct, Conte told lawmakers, "Scavate pure, da me nessun illecito."

During the session, which lasted over three hours, the Five Star Movement leader launched a counteroffensive by handing prosecutors an anonymous document regarding a 100-million-euro transaction with supplier JC Electronics over potentially counterfeit masks. Denouncing the inquiry as a political "plotone di esecuzione," Conte engaged in heated exchanges with coalition lawmakers over emergency purchasing decisions.

Sources: ANSA, Corriere della Sera, Il Messaggero, La Repubblica.