Foreign minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi said Wednesday that Italy's embassy in Russia never gave consular assistance to interior minister Matteo Salvini's aide and ex-spokesman Gianluca Savoini, who is at the centre of an international corruption probe.
"The embassy gave no assistance," Moavero told Italy's lower house of parliament at question time.
During Salvini's visits to Moscow on 15-16 July and on 17 October last year, "Mr Savoini neither requested nor received help from the embassy," Moavero stated.
Italy's embassy hosted a meeting between Salvini and Italian correspondents in Russia on 15 July "at which it assisted the entire delegation," Moavero stated.
Savoini was "not on the list" sent to the embassy of people attending an annual meeting in Moscow on 17 October between Russia's main business lobby and the association of Italian firms with operations in Russia," Moavero added.
"Consequently, the embassy did not do anything further, nor did it give (consular) assistance," he said.
Salvini has refused to answer questions in Italy's upper house Senate over allegations of collusion with Russia after BuzzFeed News earlier this month published a transcript of of Savoini's alleged discussions with Russian officials on an oil deal through which Salvini's League party would receive payments worth tens of millions of euros.
The meeting is believed to have taken place at the Metropol hotel in Moscow on October 18, 2018, but Savoini and Salvini deny it took place.
Italian energy company Eni said the deal - in which a Russian oil company would sell fuel to Eni at a discount through intermediaries - never happened.
Eni strongly reiterated that it does not engage "in transactions aimed at financing political parties".
Salvini denied ever taking "a rouble, a euro, a dollar, or a litre of vodka in Russian funding" for himself or his party.
Premier Giuseppe Conte has stood by the League and last week told the Senate that he still had trust in the party, which rules Italy in coalition with the anti-establishment 5Star Movement.
