Defense submits Delmastro-Caroccia chats to Rome prosecutors after parliamentary block

The chat submission

On 24 July 2026, lawyer Fabrizio Gallo deposited a memo with all WhatsApp chats between former undersecretary Andrea Delmastro and his client Mauro Caroccia at the Rome prosecutor's office. Gallo requested immediate acquisition of the messages for the investigation into the "Bisteccheria d'Italia" restaurant, where Delmastro was a partner. Caroccia is currently serving a four-year sentence for money laundering and fictitious asset registration with the aggravating circumstance of aiding the Senese mafia clan. His daughter Miriam is also under investigation.

From the chats it is clear who the owner of the restaurant is, and this is fundamental to clarify my client's position.

Parliamentary denial

The move came two days after the Chamber of Deputies' authorisation committee, with the centre-right voting as a bloc, denied prosecutors access to the same chats. The full Chamber is expected to vote on the matter next week. Delmastro, who is not under investigation, said the committee's decision "saved the parliamentary prerogatives provided for by the Constitution" and that the chat submission "will finally and beyond any doubt demonstrate the total non-involvement of myself and of the restaurant activity in any criminal logic."

For months, even though I am not under investigation, I have had to endure the smear machine of political figures whose local administrations were dissolved for mafia infiltration.

Legal arguments

Gallo argued that the parliamentary denial harms a citizen who cannot defend himself, since Delmastro is not a suspect. He cited a 2007 Constitutional Court ruling that the right to defence prevails over parliamentary immunity. "One cannot transform parliamentary immunity into a personal privilege," he said, adding that the chats are favourable evidence for the accused and involve only third parties who communicated with a parliamentarian. The lawyer insisted that blocking the messages fuels the mistaken belief that they hide mafia-related content, which he said is non-existent.

The chats have fundamental relevance to demonstrate my clients' non-involvement in the alleged crime and to trace who the real owner of the business is.

What the chats may reveal

Prosecutors want the messages to clarify the origin of funds behind the restaurant, especially untraceable sums, and the genesis of the company "La 5 Forchette," founded in Biella by Delmastro, Caroccia and other members of Fratelli d'Italia Piedmont. During an interrogation in April, Caroccia described Delmastro as a "benefactor" he met as a customer at his previous restaurant, who decided to help him financially by setting up the company and opening the new establishment.

Next steps

Once the Chamber's definitive no is formalised, the Rome prosecutor's office, led by Francesco Lo Voi, is considering raising a conflict of attribution before the Constitutional Court. Prosecutors may also decide to hear Delmastro as a witness to clarify the company's origins and the restaurant's management.