The founder and boss of the failed Italian food giant Parmalat, which collapsed last year with debts of billions of euros (dollars), faces charges of illegally contributing to political parties, the Italian news agency Ansa reported Saturday.
According to the agency, quoting legal sources, Calisto Tanzi is under investigation by magistrates in Parma in north-central Italy who believe he may have paid two million euros (2.28 million dollars) a year to political groups in violation of the law on political party financing.
Tanzi already faces charges in connection with the collapse of Parmalat, which failed owing 14.27 billion euros (17.7 billion dollars) in December.
The investigation follows statements from Tanzi himself when he was questioned last February, according to Ansa. The payments were allegedly made in the mid-1990s.
Five other Parmalat executives, including two senior financial officers, are under investigation on the same charges.
Italy's Agriculture Minister Gianni Alemanno, a member of the rightwing National Alliance (AN) which is part of the four-party ruling coalition, said Saturday that he had been questioned in connection with the inquiry as "someone with knowledge of the facts".
"I asked for an interview with the Parma magistrates," said Alemanno, whose name had been cited by Tanzi.
"It was very positive as I was able to see the judge was scrupulous in checking the statements.
"I was also able to repeat that I had behaved correctly with respect to Parmalat."
Tanzi was jailed in December then placed under house arrest in April with most restrictions listed last month.