Italy's deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini has made a fourth visit to the Bollate prison near Milan to see Mario Roggero, the 72-year-old jeweler serving a 14-year, 9-month sentence for killing two armed robbers during a 2021 attack on his store. The repeated visits—spanning three trips in July and one this week—have sparked questions about whether the case will shape Italy's self-defense law and whether a presidential pardon might ultimately be granted.
Why This Matters
• Self-defense legislation is back on the table: The League party plans to introduce a bill that would eliminate proportionality requirements during armed home or business invasions.
• Petition for pardon has exceeded 120,000 signatures: Salvini is actively campaigning for President Sergio Mattarella to grant clemency.
• Potential retroactivity: If the League's proposed law passes, it could theoretically lead to Roggero's immediate release, according to party officials.
What Happened in 2021
On 28 April 2021, three masked men—Giuseppe Mazzarino, Andrea Spinelli, and Alessandro Modica—broke into Roggero's jewelry store in Grinzane Cavour, a town in the Cuneo province of Piedmont. Armed with a knife and a toy pistol, they threatened Roggero, his wife, and his daughter, making off with jewelry and cash. As the assailants fled toward their getaway car, Roggero—who legally owned a firearm—pursued them outside and opened fire. Mazzarino and Spinelli died at the scene. Modica was wounded in the leg and later arrested.
Italy's courts examined whether Roggero's actions qualified as legitimate self-defense under Article 52 of the Criminal Code, which requires a present danger and a proportionate response. The Court of Assize in Asti initially sentenced him to 17 years, a term reduced to 14 years and 9 months by the Court of Assize of Appeal in Turin. On 15 July, the Supreme Court (Corte di Cassazione) upheld the conviction, ruling that the immediate threat had ended once the robbers exited the store. Roggero turned himself in at Bollate on 17 July and has been incarcerated there since.
Salvini's Campaign for Clemency
Between 18 July and the latest visit this week in August 2026, Salvini has traveled to Bollate four times. During those encounters, he has brought care packages—on the most recent trip, he delivered jars of ragù and 'nduja ahead of the Ferragosto holiday—and has framed Roggero as a symbol of Italians "defending themselves and their livelihoods." The League leader has publicly stated he would be "proud" to run Roggero as a candidate in future elections, positioning the jeweler as a figure representing small-business owners caught between violent crime and what the party calls outdated legal constraints.
The visits serve multiple political purposes. First, they keep the case in the national spotlight, feeding a broader League narrative on law and order. Second, they build momentum for a presidential pardon petition that has already surpassed 120,000 signatures. Roggero's wife formally submitted a clemency request to President Mattarella, though the president has not signaled any intent to intervene.
Third, the visits support a fundraising drive. Salvini announced that the League will collect donations at its annual Pontida rally to help cover Roggero's legal fees, which the party estimates at "tens of thousands of euros." Funds raised will go directly to Roggero's wife, according to statements from Salvini.
Legislative Push: Eliminating Proportionality
The League has long championed expansions of self-defense protections. In 2006, it backed legislation introducing the concept of "legittima difesa domiciliare" (home self-defense). The 2019 reform—Law 36/2019—presumed proportionality when a resident or business owner used a legally held weapon during a violent intrusion. It also excused excessive force in cases of "diminished defense" or "severe emotional disturbance."
Yet those protections hinge on the threat being current and the defender acting within the property. Because Roggero fired his weapon in the street as the robbers were fleeing, judges found the 2019 framework inapplicable.
Now, League senator Claudio Borghi and Salvini have tabled a new draft bill that would go much further. The proposal seeks to make any immediate response to an armed assault inside a home or workplace non-punishable, regardless of proportionality, persistence of danger, or strictly defensive conduct. In practice, this would erase the "present danger" test and the requirement that force be commensurate with the threat.
Salvini has also floated extending these protections to areas outside the premises if the aggression began inside and involved weapons. If enacted, party officials argue the law could apply retroactively under the constitutional principle that the abolition of a crime automatically benefits those already convicted. That would theoretically open the door to Roggero's release, though legal scholars caution that constitutional review and court interpretation remain uncertain.
Opposition and Constitutional Questions
Critics from opposition parties have labeled the repeated prison visits "sciacallaggio" (scavenging) and accused Salvini of turning the justice system into political theater. Some constitutional-law experts have warned that removing proportionality and "present danger" requirements risks legitimizing private justice and could conflict with constitutional protections of the right to life, even for those committing crimes.
The League has also proposed legislation barring families of burglars or robbers from claiming civil damages. This measure responds directly to a demand from the families of the two deceased robbers, who are seeking more than €3 M in compensation from the Roggeros. Salvini has emphasized that any such law would not be retroactive, meaning it would not affect existing claims.
What This Means for Residents
For small-business owners and homeowners in Italy, the outcome of this legislative push could significantly reshape the legal calculus in high-stress, split-second confrontations. Currently, using lethal force is lawful only if the threat is immediate and the response proportionate. The proposed changes would eliminate those guardrails in cases of armed intrusion, effectively granting broader immunity from prosecution.
However, the shift also raises the stakes. If the law passes and courts later strike it down as unconstitutional, anyone who relied on the expanded protections could face renewed legal jeopardy. For foreign residents in Italy, understanding self-defense law is particularly complex due to Italy's strict firearms regulations. Non-EU citizens face additional hurdles in obtaining weapons permits, and language barriers can complicate emergency reporting. In any home invasion or confrontation scenario, residents should prioritize calling 112 (Italy's emergency number) and only use force if escape is impossible and the threat is immediate. Document security measures such as cameras and alarms, and consult an Italian criminal lawyer about your specific legal position before any incident occurs. For now, the existing 2019 framework remains in force, and residents are advised to seek legal counsel before taking any action that could be construed as exceeding self-defense.
Life in Prison and Next Steps
Salvini reports that Roggero is "doing well" in detention, working in the prison library and reading. The jeweler is reportedly planning to reopen his Grinzane Cavour store at the end of August, managed by family members in his absence. Salvini has expressed hope that Roggero may soon qualify for house arrest, though he acknowledged maintaining a "low profile" on the pardon question to avoid appearing to pressure the president.
Whether Italy's Parliament will embrace the League's sweeping self-defense overhaul remains an open question. The party holds significant sway in the ruling coalition, but the proposal will face scrutiny from constitutional committees and may encounter resistance from coalition partners concerned about judicial independence and human-rights obligations. For Roggero, the immediate path forward depends either on a judicial review granting house arrest or on a presidential act of clemency—both of which remain uncertain as the summer recess draws to a close.
