broken the bond of trust with the people of San Marino
Sorry to have to “justify” in writing an article of public interest. But we never want anyone to think we wanted to take it personally. Politics is politics. And whoever engages in this sector has a duty to provide answers. And above all, be transparent. We cannot therefore allow a rather particular fact, to use a euphemism, to end up in chivalry. As all San Marino citizens know by now, only the Councilor Alessandro Mancini, among the 60 members of the Great and General Council, has not authorized the full publication of his bank bad debts, which are the debts which, in the opinion of a bank, the debtor it is no longer able to extinguish.
Compliance is optional and is provided for by the code of conduct for parliamentarians, which came into force last year, on the recommendation of Greco, the anti-corruption body of the Council of Europe. First of all, it must be said that the code of conduct, as formulated, is a bit of rose water. It is unthinkable that there are no penalties for non-compliance. In reality, this vulnerability sheds even more light, if anything were needed, on the serious problem facing Councilor Mancini. Which if it cannot be completely transparent, must draw the consequences. Especially since Mancini is even President of the Finance Commission who will soon have to deal with the NPL project!
Mancini told RTV: “I have not been able to declare so many assets held abroad… as luckily other colleagues have… because I don’t have them, and I also declared my personal suffering. I was asked by third parties to be protected and it seemed right and correct to protect third parties”. As they say? The patch is worse than the hole. Much worse. Mancini wants to protect “third parties”. But he, in his capacity as Councilor, must protect only and exclusively one category: the people of San Marino. What Mancini says is very serious and represents an enormous admission of guilt. Mancini explains and puts pen to paper on public television that he is in fact in a clear conflict of interest. It is also very serious that the Majority Councilors themselves – all of them, not just those of his party – accept this situation. How can Parliament accept having a president of the Finance Commission in conflict of interest towards “third parties”? We are certain, absolutely certain, that in other times, a movement like Rete would have provoked a popular uprising.
In our opinion, out of respect for his high role and for the citizens, Mancini, instead of wasting time and money needlessly registering and denouncing his fellow councilors, should make his suffering known and in any case, from now on, take a step back. The bond of trust that should exist between politics and citizens has been definitively broken. Who have the right to know if anyone who sits on the Council has their hands free or owes someone something. With his behavior, Mancini is putting the very institutions to which he has sworn allegiance and which he should defend, into difficulty and to the pillory. He, the only one among 60 Councillors, who has no “power” discloses his sufferings to protect “third parties”.
Free – San Marino