Five Italian MPS caught applying for hardship cash

FIVE Italian MPS were granted €600 (£539) bonuses designed to help struggling workers in the Covid-19 pandemic.

The monthly bonus − issued in March and April − was part of a financial relief package aimed at helping self-employed and casual workers forced to stay at home.

Italy has been hit particularly hard by the coronavirus, recording more than 35,200 deaths.

The applications for the bonuses, which were made through the website of Italy’s social security office, made the site crash in just a few hours, as millions of Italians requested the payments.

According to Italian daily La Repubblica, three politicians from the farright League, one from the anti-establishment Five Star Movement and one from the centrist Italia Viva party, exploited the emergency to request the bonus, despite retaining their salaries.

The report sparked fury in Italy where MPS usually earn more than €12,000 a month.

The “bonus” scandal is the latest to hit the Italian political class, known for frequent episodes of corruption and abuse of power.

The incident is more striking as it involves populist parties which have always been highly critical of the privileges of the political elite, engaging in battles to cut the benefits and salaries of MPS.

The names of the people involved in the scandal have not been published but all the main political leaders have called for them to make themselves known, reimburse the money and then step down.

Luigi di Maio, the foreign minister, whose Five Star party has been the main champion of a new law that aims to cut the number of MPS in parliament, was quick to criticise the politicians who claimed the money.