Zali Affair in Ticino: Grand Council Refuses General Debate
Six motions and 63 questions were directed at the Ticino government during the parliamentary session. Deputies ultimately refused to open a general debate on the Zali affair.
Ticino Grand Council: no general debate on Zali affair
According to Le Temps, six motions totalling 63 questions were addressed to the cantonal government on the final day of the parliamentary session of the Ticino Grand Council. Deputies subsequently refused to open a general debate on this matter, which has dominated cantonal political life in recent months.
Claudio Zali, the minister to whom leadership of the Territory Department was withdrawn in early September after his refusal to resign, was absent during this session. The State Council answered parliamentary questions without this leading to an expanded formal discussion.
The first motion concerned a meeting that Zali himself had convened at the La Farera penitentiary. The purpose of this meeting: a 14-year-old boy, son of an acquaintance of the minister, who was detained there. This action led to the opening of a criminal procedure against Zali for alleged abuse of authority and attempted coercion.
Pino Sergi, deputy of the Movimento per il socialismo (MPS), noted that Zali had no direct competence in the management of penitentiary establishments. He also underlined that the motion, filed as early as 23 July, raised questions which, in his view, "would have required public responses, of an eminently political nature immediately, rather than waiting for the parliamentary session".
The "Zali affair" had kept the canton of Ticino under high tension throughout the summer, before reaching its climax during this session. The refusal of a general debate marks a stage in a matter that remains open on the judicial level.
Source: Le Temps