Italy’s labour minister embroiled in family business scandal

ROME – The father of Italy’s labour and development minister has apologized for hiring workers off the books for his small construction firm but insists his “errors” shouldn’t reflect badly on his son.

A video posted Monday on Facebook featured Antonio Di Maio acknowledging he hired workers without contracts.

DiMaio’s son, Luigi Di Maio, leads Italy’s 5-Star Movement, an anti-establishment party that prides itself on the honesty and transparency of its public servants.

After initially saying he didn’t know about the family business, Luigi Di Maio said he confirmed there were problems. He has distanced himself from them.

Police have also searched the family’s Naples-area homestead after Mediaset’s Le Iene investigative program suggested some buildings there were unauthorized.

The program interviewed the elder Di Maio’s workers and first revealed they were paid under the table in cash.