Italian Minister Under Fire After 17th Century Painting Scandal
• Italian police confiscated a stolen 17th-century painting, "The Capture of Saint Peter", worth €200,000 that is at the center of an investigation into junior culture minister Vittorio Sgarbi.
• The painting disappeared in 2013 and Sgarbi submitted a nearly identical one under a different name to an exhibition in 2021, arousing suspicion.
• Prosecutors are investigating Sgarbi for alleged laundering of stolen goods related to the painting. Sgarbi denies the accusations.
• Sgarbi is also being investigated by Italy's antitrust authority for allegedly accepting large sums to appear at cultural events.
• Opposition politicians have called for Sgarbi's dismissal, criticizing the latest scandal under Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's far-right government.