Italian President Sergio Mattarella Pardons Nicole Minetti for Humanitarian Reasons

Italian President Sergio Mattarella granted a pardon to Nicole Minetti, a former dental hygienist and former Lombardy regional councilor, wiping out a combined sentence of 3 years and 11 months stemming from two separate criminal cases. The pardon was issued in recent weeks for humanitarian reasons, with positive opinions from Justice Minister Carlo Nordio and the Chief Prosecutor of the Court of Appeal. The news was first broken by Federico Ruffo, host of the Rai3 program "Mi Manda RaiTre", through a social media post on the morning of April 11, 2026. According to Fanpage, Minetti had submitted her application for a pardon in 2022 and currently lives abroad. The former councilor declined to comment following the announcement.

Quirinale cites sick minor as key reason Sources from the Quirinale moved quickly to explain the basis for the clemency decision, issuing a statement to press agencies hours after the news broke. The sources specified that the pardon was grounded in part on the serious health conditions of a close minor relative of Minetti, who requires assistance and special care at highly specialized hospitals. Privacy regulations protecting the sensitive data of minors prevented the presidential office from disclosing further details about the child's condition. The Quirinale also noted that the competent Prosecutor General of the Court of Appeal had expressed a favorable opinion in an extensive written assessment. Justice Minister Carlo Nordio similarly provided a positive opinion before the decree was issued. The statement was not delivered as a formal official note but rather as a briefing to press agencies, according to Il Fatto Quotidiano.

Two convictions, one embezzlement and one prostitution case Minetti's pardon covers two definitive sentences handed down in separate proceedings. The first, a sentence of 1 year and 1 month, arose from the Rimborsopoli investigation, in which Minetti was convicted of embezzlement related to expenses charged against regional councilor reimbursements. The second and longer sentence, 2 years and 10 months, was handed down in the "Ruby bis" trial — the so-called elegant dinners case — for inducement to prostitution. According to Fanpage, thanks to the pardon measure, Minetti will not serve even one day of the combined sentence. The Ruby case closed in 2013 with the definitive sentence, while the Rimborsopoli verdict arrived in 2021, according to the same outlet. 3 (years and 11 months) — total sentence pardoned by President Mattarella

Nicole Minetti — sentences before and after pardon: Embezzlement sentence (Rimborsopoli) (before: 1 year and 1 month to serve, after: Pardoned — no time to serve); Inducement to prostitution sentence (Ruby bis) (before: 2 years and 10 months to serve, after: Pardoned — no time to serve); Total combined sentence (before: 3 years and 11 months, after: Fully remitted)

Berlusconi connection defined Minetti's political rise and fall Nicole Minetti was elected as a regional councilor in Lombardy in 2010 at the age of 25, on the list of the People of Liberty party under former regional president Roberto Formigoni. According to Fanpage, her candidacy was reportedly desired by former Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who allegedly noticed her at a Publitalia stand where she had worked as a hostess. Minetti became publicly prominent in 2010 when Berlusconi asked her to go to the Milan police headquarters to sign for the custody of Ruby, a 17-year-old girl of Moroccan origin who had been held by law enforcement on suspicion of theft. That intervention by Berlusconi, who identified Ruby as a relative of then-Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, triggered a series of judicial proceedings that became known collectively as the Ruby affair.

Minetti's political career lasted through the 2010-2012 legislative period in the Lombardy regional council, after which her judicial troubles dominated her public profile. Her prior television experience dated to a brief period between 2007 and 2008, according to Fanpage. Federico Ruffo announced that a full investigative report on the pardon case, produced by journalist Floriana Bulfon, was set to air during the following day's episode of "Mi Manda RaiTre." The pardon decree was described across multiple outlets as having been issued in recent weeks, though the precise date was not disclosed. The case drew immediate public attention given the high-profile nature of the Ruby proceedings, which had implicated a number of figures from Italian political and entertainment circles.