Rome’s Chamber of Deputies Appeals Board has confirmed the rejection of an appeal by approximately 800 former deputies seeking to overturn cuts to their parliamentary pensions. This decision upholds a first-degree ruling and contrasts with a 2022 Senate ruling that had preserved pensions for former senators.
The pension reductions were originally implemented in 2018 under then-Speaker Roberto Fico. A statement from Montecitorio (the Chamber’s seat) announced the latest decision. The appellants have now exhausted domestic judicial remedies and must consider whether to pursue a political appeal with the current Chamber Presidency, led by Lorenzo Fontana.
The complex case primarily affects younger former deputies or those with fewer terms served, unlike older ex-deputies who benefited from a 2021 ruling that effectively nullified the Fico cuts. The 2018 measure recalculated pensions based on contributions paid and years receiving the allowance, leading to cuts of up to 90% for some senior ex-parliamentarians.
The 2021 ruling for the older cohort, based on the constitutional principle of legitimate expectation, restored their previous pensions. The Senate subsequently extended similar protection to all former senators in 2022. The 800 ex-deputies sought equivalent treatment to eliminate what they called an “unreasonably penalizing” situation, arguing the Chamber’s entire pension savings burden now falls solely on them – roughly 800 out of 3,300 total former deputies.
“The Chamber Appeals Board examined the appeal concerning the first-degree ruling on the so-called pension cuts, confirming the overall framework of the 2018 Resolution No. 14,” the Chamber’s statement read, referring to Fico’s original measure. It also confirmed mitigation measures for the oldest beneficiaries introduced by the previous Presidency Office, concluding: “The current overall situation regarding pension recalculation and related mitigation measures therefore remains unchanged.”
Prominent figures affected include Paolo Guzzanti, Ilona Staller, former Naples mayors Antonio Bassolino and Rosa Russo Iervolino, former Imperia mayor Claudio Scajola, Fabrizio Cicchitto, Claudio Martelli, Margherita Boniver, Italo Bocchino, Mario Landolfi, Gianni Alemanno, Mario Capanna, former magistrate Tiziana Maiolo, former Olympian Manuela Di Centa, former CSM vice-president Michele Vietti, Giovanna Melandri, and Angelino Alfano.
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