Italy. Son of Senate President Ignazio La Russa suspected of rape

It all started on the night of May 18/19 in the center of Milan, in a venue a few hundred meters from the famous Duomo di Milano. The “Aphopis” club is small, it houses a bar and a dance floor, usually filled with fans of electronic music. It was there, shortly after midnight, that the 22-year-old met her friend, who was one year younger. “When we were dancing (with a friend – ed.), I realized that my old school friend, Leonardo, son of Ignazio La Russa, was also there. We said hello,” the girl later told investigators, as quoted by the journalist of “Corriere della Sera”, who reached the content of the testimony of the 22-year-old.

She claims to have had two drinks at the club. Her friend added that she saw her “in euphoria as she kissed Leonard, with whom she then disappeared from the premises.” The 22-year-old later admitted that she had also taken several doses of cocaine earlier.

The girl claims that she does not remember anything that happened after drinking alcohol. Consciousness returned the next day, around noon, when she woke up naked in the bedroom of 21-year-old Leonard. He was supposed to be next to him. “I immediately asked him to explain how we got here. He said we drove there in his car straight from the club and that we had sex, we were under the influence of drugs. He also added that his friend who sleeps in the next room also had sex with him. intercourse with me without my consent.” the 22-year-old reported.

She said that she gathered her things, left the house and called her mother, who advised her to visit the Mangiagalli clinic, where there is a center for victims of violence. She was tested there.

According to the Corriere newspaper, a report from the Mangiagalli clinic showed that the girl had injuries that “could correspond to injuries from sexual violence”: she had bruises on her neck and a small wound on her thigh. A day later, her blood was also tested for psychoactive substances.

“They showed that she had used marijuana. The presence of cocaine and benzodiazepines was also confirmed,” reported the daily “Il Messaggero”. “The last substance could have been detected due to the sedative drugs that the 22-year-old is supposed to take,” the Ansa press agency clarified.

On June 29, represented by the attorney Stefano Benvenuto, she filed a notification with the Milan prosecutor’s office about the possibility of committing a crime by her 21-year-old colleague. Prosecutors Rosaria Stagnaro and Letizia Mannella have been investigating since then.

The media publicized the case in the first week of July. “The 22-year-old agreed to spend time after playing with my client, without being forced to go with him to his house, spend the night there and stay until noon the next day, then ‘normally’ say goodbye to him,” Adriano Bazzoni reported to journalists , lawyer of the La Russa family, when asked about the night of May 18-19.

On July 9, Ignazio La Russa, president of the Italian Senate, published his statement. “After a long conversation with my son Leonard, I am sure that he has not committed any prohibited act. (…) The notification submitted 40 days after the alleged events raises many question marks. (…) Like the story of a girl who, as she admitted she used cocaine before she met my son. He had no idea about it. A substance that Leonardo had never used in his life, which I’m sure. Moreover, a girl whom I and my wife, she seemed perfectly calm,” La Russa said.

Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni referred to the senator’s reaction during the summit FOR THIS. On July 12, when asked by the journalists gathered there for a comment, she replied: – As a mother, I understand the pain of the President of the Senate, although I would not intervene in this matter. By nature, I try to sympathize with the girl who files the complaint.

Elly Schlein, secretary of the opposition Democratic Party, called Ignazio La Russa’s statement a “secondary victimization”. “Apart from the question of the son’s responsibility, which will be investigated by investigators, it is disgusting to hear words from the second most important person in the country that discredit the credibility of women who report sexual violence simply because of the time it takes them to file a report or through the use of drugs or alcohol, as if ( taking-ed.) was an automatic consent (to close-up-ed.)” – she concluded.

The suspected 21-year-old is one of La Russa’s three sons (children from two marriages). Leonardo lives in London every day because he studies there. He has his own channel on Youtube, he is a beginner rapper. On the occasion of the scandal, “Repubblica” reminded that the 21-year-old does not mince words in his works, uses profanity and treats women as objects. “I’m crazy, I’m burnt” – reads the lyrics of one of the songs. “I don’t like it. If I ever catch him with drugs, I’ll kill him,” the senator once commented.

Last Friday, investigators asked young La Russa to give them his mobile phone. “According to our information, the prosecutors did not take the sim card because it is registered to the senator’s company,” the Mediaset TV portal reported on Saturday.

Over the past weekend, some media have suggested that the 21-year-old is trying to hide his father’s immunity and deliberately did not give this card. On Monday, his lawyer corrected: – It was the Milan prosecutors who decided to return the card we gave back, precisely because it is registered to Ignazio La Russa and protected by immunity – he assured in an interview with “Corriere della Sera”, adding that his the customer fully cooperates with law enforcement.

Data analyzes on the 22-year-old’s phone will in turn confirm who the girl contacted during the evening of May 18 and the day after. “I don’t remember anything. Tell me about yesterday. Did someone drug me?” – this is how the text exchange between the 22-year-old and her friend was supposed to sound, which was described by the “Corriere” newspaper in early July. How much the conversation has to do with the truth will now be investigated by the prosecutor’s office.

SEE ALSO: Italians ask: do you know how long is 10 seconds?

For the past two weeks, investigators have been looking for a man who left the club with his girlfriend and Leonard and also allegedly abused the 22-year-old. The young La Russa referred to him as a “mate”, but was unable to indicate his whereabouts. On Monday, July 17, he was tracked down. “The prosecutor’s office reached a 24-year-old resident of Como,” reported the portal of the weekly La Verita.

24 years old Italian, Tommaso G., nicknamed Nico, lives in London on a daily basis and earns money there by playing at parties. Milan prosecutors confirmed that he was the one who was at the La Russa family’s house on the night of May 18-19. “He also has the status of a suspect of sexual violence,” reports the daily Il Fatto Quotidiano.

“At the moment, however, investigators do not take into account the version of gang rape, because both relationships would happen separately, one at a time” – explains the Fanpage portal.

The journalist of the Italian “Repubblica” talked to the father of the 22-year-old victim. – If there is evidence of what my daughter says, and I believe her, it will stay with her for life. I hope that those who will investigate and judge this case will be able to objectively approach the presented facts, regardless of the political power represented by the father (the accused-ed.), hopes the man who prefers to remain anonymous.

A representative of the weekly “La Verita” spoke with the father of the 24-year-old DJ. He describes his son as “a great, sensible man” and therefore “surprises him about the whole situation”. He also told the journalist that Tommaso, 24, “is often surrounded by beautiful girls and does not take drugs.”

“I don’t think he could do something like that (rape-ed.).” he added. When asked about how the night of May 18/19 went, in his opinion, he said: – Maybe it’s so that nowadays girls first have sex, and only then they realize who they did it with and the next moment they go to report? I don’t know, he supposed.

The Milan prosecutor’s office is investigating the case. According to the media, this week investigators in cooperation with the police are focusing on the analysis of data from confiscated phones and recordings from surveillance cameras.