ROME - Vittorio Sgarbi has resigned as Junior Minister of Culture, announcing his own departure at “La Ripartenza” event in Milan.

 He told the audience that he resigned “with immediate effect”, saying he “did not want to be Junior Minister.”

 Sgarbi had not previously informed Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of his intention to resign but said he planned tell Meloni “in the next few hours.”

 This comes days after he insulted two journalists on a Rai3 television programme, including saying he would “be happy” if they died in a car crash. He has still not apologised.

 Sgarbi has also found himself embroiled in a scandal, over alleged possession of a stolen 17^th century painting, however he has consistently denied these claims. The police are investigating him on suspicion of laundering stolen goods.

 He is also currently subject to an investigation by Antitrust, a branch of the Italian Competition Authority, due to anonymous complaints surrounding conflict of interests, in part due to his appearances at cultural conferences. A decision has not yet been reached, however is expected to be announced in the coming weeks.

 Sgarbi told the crowd that he had been "pondering" over resigning for a couple of hours. He said that his appearance at the Milanese event would be “illegal” in the eyes of the Antitrust Authority and thus resigned as not to make the audience “accomplices of a crime.”

 khg