Italian parliament has been rocked by scandal after it was revealed the mistress of Italy’s culture minister filmed herself several times in parliament with a secret camera hidden in her glasses.

Gennaro Sangiuliano, 62, has publicly confessed to having an affair with fashion influencer Maria Rosaria Boccia, who he broke up with over the summer following their passionate affair. 

Sangiuliano said he first met Boccia at a party in Naples in May this year, but ended things with her between the end of July and the start of August.

For calling off their relationship, the 41-year-old mistress has been releasing private conversations that have allegedly implicated Sangiuliano in a corruption and misappropriation of public funds scandal. 

She claimed that her former lover has been using public funds to pay for her trips, provided her with confidential information, and appointed her as a special adviser.

Boccia appeared to support her claim with audio recordings of phone calls with government officials, screenshots of flight tickets, and photographs of programmes for official government events. 

She also used the Ray-Ban Stories sunglasses, which have a built-in microphone and camera, to record herself in the Palazzo Montecitorio, where it is forbidden to film. 

The minister claims to have paid for most of her trips out of his own pocket, and denied that his ministry approved an adviser contract. 

The minister said: ‘She didn’t have access to classified or confidential documents.’ 

But she also appeared to counter that, publishing documents on Instagram that she claimed proved her involvement in official meetings, site visits, and consultations. 

In an interview with Italian media on Wednesday, he tearfully apologised to his wife, Federica Corsini: ‘The first person I have to apologise to, who is an exceptional person, is my wife.’ 

He also said he had apologised to his boss, Giorgia Meloni, who he said had rejected his resignation letter.