VALERIO TO APPEAR BEFORE SENATE INTELLIGENCE COMMITTEE
Marta Pezzaloni
Messelia. First Councillor Valerio faces an ever increasing number of problems, as he agreed to appear before a closed session of the Senate Intelligence Committee on July 3 to account for his handling of the immediate aftermath to Operation Silver Horse.
In a reversal from the days of the hostage crisis, when public opinion was united behind the First Councillor, he is now facing sharp criticism from the Merchant Rights Association and Forward. Senator Mario Salucci (ADM) said in a recent interview in Buongiorno Gialla that "there are several efficiency and transparency questions that need to be answered", citing the time that it took for the First Councillor to authorise the military operation, and hinting at a lack of transparency with members of the Intelligence Committee, regarding any information collected following the operation. There have also been rumours of concerns by members of the Alliance for Sustainable Development, with some sources close to its leadership saying that they are evaluating their support of Mr Valerio.
Senator Fabio Basile (ASS), Chair of the Intelligence Committee, told this newspaper that it was natural for the Senate to hear from the First Councillor, following a situation like the recent hostage crisis, and insisted that ASS was not in any hurry to reconsider its support of Mr Valerio. Palazzo Malzo Correspondent Adriana Rovigatti disagreed with that assessment, proposing that Mr Valerio, who held an unscheduled meeting with the Prince this morning, was already walking on thin ice, and his upcoming testimony would be an opportunity for ASS to give itself permission to support the election of a new First Councillor.