Francesco Saverio Romano


Francesco Saverio Romano is an Italian politician and lawyer.

Early life and education

Romano was born in Palermo on 24 December 1964. He holds a law degree, which he received from the University of Palermo in 1988. He was a board member of the Opera Universitaria. He became a member of the Christian Democracy party when he was a university student.

Career

Romano became a member of the provincial council of Palermo in 1990. From 1993 to 1994 he served as the councillor for viability. From 1997 to 2001 he was the president of IRCAC, a credit institution in Sicily. He was elected to the Chamber of Deputies from his constituency, Bagheria, in 2001. He was the secretary of state for labour in the third cabinet of Silvio Berlusconi. He was reelected to the Chamber in the 2008 elections. Romano left Christian Democracy party in September 2010.
On 23 March 2011, he was appointed agriculture minister to the fourth cabinet led by Berlusconi in a cabinet reshuffle. Romano replaced Giancarlo Galan in the post. Romano's term ended on 16 November 2011 and he was replaced by Mario Catania as agriculture minister.

Controversy

Just before his appointment as agriculture minister Romano was under investigation due to allegations about Mafia association and corruption.