Italian police arrested a high-ranking politician in the Lombardy regional government for corruption yesterday just before he was due to attend a conference promoting legality in the public administration.

Mario Mantovani, a member of Silvio Berlusconi's Forza Italia party, is suspected of graft, rigging public tenders and corruption perpetrated between 2012 and 2014. One of Mr Mantovani's aides and a state engineer also face charges of wrongdoing. An ex-senator, he is the second-highest ranking figure in the government in Lombardy, which includes Milan.

He could not be immediately reached for comment. As a deputy minister at the Transport Ministry from 2008 to 2011, Mr Mantovani became known for paying for local public works projects with cheques bearing the smiling face of Berlusconi.