In a Facebook post, Ranucci attacked the Libero newspaper for circulating a picture that allegedly shows him sharing a kiss with Maria Rosaria Boccia, describing the image as a fabrication produced with artificial intelligence and saying he had retrieved the file from a private chat.
Ranucci asserted that the picture, which Libero claimed originated from investigators or secret services, was "evidently realised with artificial intelligence" and therefore a deliberate falsehood intended to mislead the public.
The journalist also targeted Libero’s director, identified as Sallusti, accusing him of being "graziato dal carcere" and of having secured, with the support of the centre‑right FDI party, the suspension of the summer reruns of the TV programme Report, while alleging that the government remains silent on the misuse of the press.
Ranucci announced that he will discuss the matter publicly at two upcoming events: on 25 September in Noto and on 26 September in Vittoria, as part of his show titled #DiarioDiUnTrapezista.
In response, Francesco Di Deco, the lawyer representing Maria Rosaria Boccia, issued a statement confirming that legal proceedings will be filed that same day against Natalia Potenza, the daily Libero and journalist Giacomo Amadori for the statements and content published in the newspaper’s edition.
Di Deco contested the existence and veracity of the photograph, emphasizing that no encounter of the nature suggested by the article ever occurred between his client and Ranucci, and that any meetings between the two over the past two years were always in the presence of other people. He said the judicial authority will be asked to determine any liability arising from the publication and warned that similar actions could be pursued against anyone who repeats the alleged claims.
The legal notice also indicated that further initiatives would be evaluated against any party that republishes or amplifies the disputed allegations, should the legal criteria be met.