A man went shopping in Rome, Italy - Filippo MONTEFORTE / AFP

Two Italian deputies of the League (extreme right) apologized on Thursday for having requested the "Covid Bonus", emergency aid of 600 euros per month intended for people in great financial difficulty, a case revealed on Sunday and which had aroused a lively controversy. According to parliamentary indiscretions revealed by the daily La Repubblica , five deputies in total have made this request, but only two deputies of the League have been identified so far: Andrea Dara and Elena Murelli.

Both were suspended by their party, led by former Deputy Prime Minister and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini, but they remain MPs. Andrea Dara, 41, an entrepreneur in the textile sector from the region of Mantua (north), explained that it was his mother, co-manager of his company, who had made the request for him.

"I'm not looking for excuses"

“I understand the party's decision, I take responsibility for what happened, even if I am not directly responsible (…) I am not looking for excuses,” he said. As for Elena Murri, a 45-year-old teacher and consultant, she has not made a public statement but would have apologized to the authorities of her party, according to the newspaper Il Corriere della Sera .

The identity of the three other deputies concerned could be revealed on Friday during the hearing in parliament of the president of the body in charge of managing the Covid Bonus. The Italian press estimates that some 2,000 other politicians, including mayors and municipal or regional councilors, have also made the request.

13,000 euros net monthly

This aid, provided for without income limit in two government decrees, was in the amount of 600 euros for the months of March and April, then 1,000 euros for the month of May. It targets, for example, activities subject to VAT, self-employed workers, seasonal workers affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

A total of 6.9 billion euros of “Covid Bonus” were distributed to Italians during these three months. Italian deputies receive nearly 13,000 euros net monthly, between compensation (more than 5,000 euros), reimbursement of expenses and employment of employees.

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