Italy's Prodi accused of interfering with inquiry

Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi was grappling last night with the most serious scandal to hit his government since it came to office last year. As insults flew between members of his Cabinet, Antonio Di Pietro, a minister and former anti-corruption prosecutor, said attempts had been made to derail a fraud investigation in which Prodi and his justice minister, Clemente Mastella, are both suspects.

Di Pietro said the government's reaction was reminiscent of what happened under Silvio Berlusconi, when "politicians invented technicalities and laws [suited to their needs] to ensure they were not put on trial."

He said that if the crisis was not tackled "immediately and with determination, we shall all be overwhelmed."

Mastella hit back by calling Di Pietro a "legal illiterate." Both the justice minister and Prodi deny wrongdoing.

The affair centers on an investigation in the southern city of Catanzaro into alleged embezzlement of EU funds. It has since reportedly spread to take in claims that the centre-left used public cash to "buy" support in the surrounding region of Calabria, where Mastella was elected.

The fact that Prodi was being investigated was reported in July but not officially confirmed until Sunday, when Mastella said: "The prime minister is, like me, under investigation."

Soon after it was reported that Prodi was formally under investigation, justice ministry officials arrived in Catanzaro to start an inquiry into the conduct of the case. In September, Mastella asked that the prosecutor in charge, Luigi De Magistris, and his superior both be transferred to new posts.

Earlier this month, De Magistris told the state-run RAI television channel that he had faced "pressure and intimidation from the authorities." Prodi criticized the program for a lack of "seriousness [and] professionalism."

Mastella said RAI's board ought to be dismissed.