Corriere delicately points out a little inconsistency in journalist-Sismi spy Renato Farina's confession that "I helped Sismi spy on the Milan prosecutor, but I did it to protect Christian Italy from Islamic jihad" defense. That Farina didn't do it for patriotism alone, but for 7,500 Euros in payments from Sismi whose receipts the Italian police discovered in a secret Sismi apartment last week and details of which the Italian papers have now published. So much for love and patriotism, Farina wouldn't do it without $10,000 payment. And as Corriere points out, Farina's defender in Il Foglio publisher and Berlusconi buddy Giuliano Ferrara might look unfavorably if it turned out the journalists publishing stories about the Milan prosecutor's investigation were taking money from him, right? With the exception of Ferrara, even Farina's Italian colleagues on the center-right such as at Corriere don't seem to be sympathetic to his excuses for covertly working on Sismi's payroll while taking his full salary from Libero.

Posted by Laura at July 9, 2006 09:52 AM