Former Rome mayor Alemanno released from prison, set to meet Vannacci

ANSA English

Politics

Former Rome mayor Alemanno released from prison, set to meet Vannacci

Right-wing politician says he's innocent, govt has done nothing about overcrowding

ROME,

24 June 2026, 11:49

ANSA English Desk

- ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Former Rome mayor Gianni Alemanno was

released from the city's Rebibbia prison on Wednesday after

spending almost 18 months behind bars over a conviction for

influence peddling and said he was set to dine with

general-turned-politician Roberto Vannacci and join his new

far-right National Future (FN) party.

"I leave prison an innocent man," Alemanno told reporters.

"I'll see Vannacci for dinner this evening.

"He's a new face, a new hope that breaks the mould and opens up

a different outlook.

"We'll talk about many things, even if we don't agree on

everything.

"I am a sovereignist and I don't accept Conservative politics.

"In Italy, there is nothing worth conserving, and everything

must change.

"That is the truth.

"I'm not asking for positions or assignments; I'll just bring my

experience to Vannacci's movement.

"Vannacci represents change.

"We need to reconcile identity issues with social problems

because people don't have enough to eat.

"Many people are in prison here because they don't have enough

to eat.

"That's not an excuse, but we need to provide answers from a

social perspective."

He added that Premier Giorgia Meloni's government "has done

nothing" about the problem of prison overcrowding.

Alemanno, who also served as agriculture minister from 2001 to

2006, highlighted the difficult situation in Italy's jails

during his detention with his online 'cell diary'

Overcrowding and insufficient staffing have been linked to high

suicide rates by inmates in Italy.

Alemanno had been in Rebibbia since December 31, 2024 for not

having respected the obligations imposed on him by the

surveillance judges regarding a suspended sentence for a

definitive conviction in one branch of the political-business

racketeering case in the Italian capital dubbed 'Middle World'.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © Copyright ANSA

Share Article

Or use

ANSA News Choose the information from ANSA.it

Subscribe to read all ANSA.it news without limits

Subscribe now

ANSA Corporate

If it is news,

it is an ANSA.

We have been collecting, publishing and distributing journalistic information since 1945 with offices in Italy and around the world. Learn more about our services.

Company Profile

Products and Services

Contact

Stay connected