Paolo Guzzanti
Encyclopedia
Paolo Guzzanti is an Italian
journalist and politician. He was previously a member of the Italian Socialist Party
.
, he is the nephew of Elio Guzzanti
and father to actors Corrado
, Sabina
and Caterina.
As a journalist he worked for L'Avanti!, La Repubblica
(of which he was co-founder) and La Stampa
. He also hosted the first season of TV show Chi l'ha visto?. Currently he is an editorialist of Paolo Berlusconi
's Il Giornale
(he was deputy director before and for Panorama
, also owned by Berlusconi.
He was elected to the Italian Parliament for Forza Italia
. From 2002 to 2006 he was president of the Mitrokhin Commission, a parliamentary commission which was entrusted with investigating the role of KGB
in Italy
. The commission, since the very beginning, received heavy criticism as it was pointed out that its main role seemed only that to discredit the former Italian Communist Party
. According to an interview of former KGB agent Yevgeny Limarev published on La Repubblica
, Italian left-winged politicians to be discredited included Romano Prodi
, Massimo D'Alema
and Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio
. The commission was closed in 2006 without any concrete result given.
On 1 December 2006 Italian Mario Scaramella
, a contact of dead former spy Alexander Litvinenko
, tests positive for polonium-210. Mr Scaramella is involved in an Italian parliamentary inquiry into KGB
activity and was sufficiently worried by the contents of an e-mail to ask for advice from Mr Litvinenko. The e-mail said that he, Mr Litvinenko and an Italian senator, Paolo Guzzanti, were possible targets for assassination.
In 2009 Paolo Guzzanti published a book where he stated that Litvinenko told the Mitrokhin Commission about a connection between Romano Prodi
and Soviet KGB
, post-Soviet FSB. He believed that Litvinenko was killed because of Mitrokhin Commission and that Vladimir Putin
had an interest in ruining the commission.
On 2 February 2009 he left People of Freedom
and joined Italian liberal party. He was elected deputy secretary on 20 February.
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
journalist and politician. He was previously a member of the Italian Socialist Party
Italian Socialist Party
The Italian Socialist Party was a socialist and later social-democratic political party in Italy founded in Genoa in 1892.Once the dominant leftist party in Italy, it was eclipsed in status by the Italian Communist Party following World War II...
.
Biography
Born in RomeRome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
, he is the nephew of Elio Guzzanti
Elio Guzzanti
Elio Guzzanti is an Italian doctor and politician. He is a university teacher at Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore of his native city, Rome. He was Italian Minister of Health in Lamberto Dini's non partisan members government....
and father to actors Corrado
Corrado Guzzanti
Corrado Guzzanti is an Italian actor, director, writer and satirist. He has been described as "the most interesting satirical author and actor today" and "among the comedians best loved by the Italian public."-Biography:...
, Sabina
Sabina Guzzanti
Sabina Guzzanti is an Italian satirist, actress, writer and producer whose work is devoted to examining social and political life in Italy.-Early life:...
and Caterina.
As a journalist he worked for L'Avanti!, La Repubblica
La Repubblica
la Repubblica is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. Founded in 1976 in Rome by the journalist Eugenio Scalfari, as of 2008 is the second largest circulation newspaper, behind the Corriere della Sera.-Foundation:...
(of which he was co-founder) and La Stampa
La Stampa
La Stampa is one of the best-known, most influential and most widely sold Italian daily newspapers. Published in Turin, it is distributed in Italy and other European nations. The current owner is the Fiat Group.-History:...
. He also hosted the first season of TV show Chi l'ha visto?. Currently he is an editorialist of Paolo Berlusconi
Paolo Berlusconi
Paolo Berlusconi is the younger brother of Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi. He is editor of the newspaper Il Giornale and the head of the investment group Paolo Berlusconi Finanzaria...
's Il Giornale
Il Giornale
il Giornale is an Italian daily newspaper published in Milan, Italy.-History:The newspaper was planned in 1972 by the journalist Indro Montanelli, together with the colleague Enzo Bettiza, after some disagreements with the new pro-left editorial line adopted by the newspaper Corriere della Sera,...
(he was deputy director before and for Panorama
Panorama (Italian magazine)
Panorama is a right-wing Italian-language news magazine.-Ownership:The magazine is published by Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, the largest Italian publishing house...
, also owned by Berlusconi.
He was elected to the Italian Parliament for Forza Italia
Forza Italia
Forza Italia was a liberal-conservative, Christian democratic, and liberal political party in Italy, with a large social democratic minority, that was led by Silvio Berlusconi, four times Prime Minister of Italy....
. From 2002 to 2006 he was president of the Mitrokhin Commission, a parliamentary commission which was entrusted with investigating the role of KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. The commission, since the very beginning, received heavy criticism as it was pointed out that its main role seemed only that to discredit the former Italian Communist Party
Italian Communist Party
The Italian Communist Party was a communist political party in Italy.The PCI was founded as Communist Party of Italy on 21 January 1921 in Livorno, by seceding from the Italian Socialist Party . Amadeo Bordiga and Antonio Gramsci led the split. Outlawed during the Fascist regime, the party played...
. According to an interview of former KGB agent Yevgeny Limarev published on La Repubblica
La Repubblica
la Repubblica is an Italian daily general-interest newspaper. Founded in 1976 in Rome by the journalist Eugenio Scalfari, as of 2008 is the second largest circulation newspaper, behind the Corriere della Sera.-Foundation:...
, Italian left-winged politicians to be discredited included Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi is an Italian politician and statesman. He served as the Prime Minister of Italy, from 17 May 1996 to 21 October 1998 and from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008...
, Massimo D'Alema
Massimo D'Alema
Massimo D'Alema is an Italian politician. He is also a journalist and a former national secretary of the Democratic Party of the Left...
and Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio
Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio
Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio , is an Italian politician. He served as Minister of Environment in the second cabinet of Romano Prodi between 2006 and 2008....
. The commission was closed in 2006 without any concrete result given.
On 1 December 2006 Italian Mario Scaramella
Mario Scaramella
Mario Scaramella is an Italian lawyer, self-styled security consultant and nuclear waste expert who came to international prominence in 2006 in connection with the poisoning of the ex-FSB agent Alexander Litvinenko...
, a contact of dead former spy Alexander Litvinenko
Alexander Litvinenko
Alexander Valterovich Litvinenko was an officer who served in the Soviet KGB and its Russian successor, the Federal Security Service ....
, tests positive for polonium-210. Mr Scaramella is involved in an Italian parliamentary inquiry into KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
activity and was sufficiently worried by the contents of an e-mail to ask for advice from Mr Litvinenko. The e-mail said that he, Mr Litvinenko and an Italian senator, Paolo Guzzanti, were possible targets for assassination.
In 2009 Paolo Guzzanti published a book where he stated that Litvinenko told the Mitrokhin Commission about a connection between Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi
Romano Prodi is an Italian politician and statesman. He served as the Prime Minister of Italy, from 17 May 1996 to 21 October 1998 and from 17 May 2006 to 8 May 2008...
and Soviet KGB
KGB
The KGB was the commonly used acronym for the . It was the national security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954 until 1991, and was the premier internal security, intelligence, and secret police organization during that time.The State Security Agency of the Republic of Belarus currently uses the...
, post-Soviet FSB. He believed that Litvinenko was killed because of Mitrokhin Commission and that Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Putin
Vladimir Vladimirovich Putin served as the second President of the Russian Federation and is the current Prime Minister of Russia, as well as chairman of United Russia and Chairman of the Council of Ministers of the Union of Russia and Belarus. He became acting President on 31 December 1999, when...
had an interest in ruining the commission.
On 2 February 2009 he left People of Freedom
The People of Freedom
The People of Freedom is a centre-right political party in Italy. With the Democratic Party, it is one of the two major parties of the current Italian party system....
and joined Italian liberal party. He was elected deputy secretary on 20 February.