Almasri Complaint Judicial, Not Political Choice – Li Gotti
Rome: Attorney Luigi Li Gotti asserted that the criminal complaint he filed against Premier Giorgia Meloni and other officials concerning the release and return to Libya of alleged war criminal Osama Almasri was a judicial decision, not a politically-driven action. “I made a judicial choice,” Li Gotti stated during an interview with Radio 24. He emphasized that his actions were in line with his responsibilities as a citizen observing potential culpability, and not an attempt to demand political resignations.
According to Ansa News Agency, Li Gotti submitted the complaint to the Rome Prosecutor’s Office on January 23, addressing the liberation of Libyan official Osama Almasri. Premier Giorgia Meloni disclosed on Tuesday that she received a notification of an investigation regarding possible aiding and abetting and the embezzlement of public funds from Rome’s chief prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi. Notices of investigation have also been sent to Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, and cabinet secretary with the intelligence brief, Alfredo Mantovano.
The Tribunal of Ministers is tasked with determining whether to advance with or dismiss the case. During the Radio 24 interview, Li Gotti was questioned whether former premier and European Commission President Romano Prodi, under whose administration he served as justice undersecretary, was involved in the initiative. Li Gotti refuted this, claiming he has never communicated with Prodi.
Li Gotti, who previously belonged to the now-dissolved Neofascist MSI party and now aligns himself with the Democratic Party (PD), addressed accusations regarding his legal defense of mafia members. He clarified that his career involved diverse roles, including defending state witnesses. He cited that he was requested by slain anti-mafia prosecutor Giovanni Falcone to defend Francesco Marino Mannoia, who turned State’s evidence in 1989, as Mannoia lacked legal representation and Li Gotti had an ethical duty to accept.
Furthermore, Li Gotti has represented victims’ families in high-profile cases, such as the 1978 Red Brigades kidnapping of Aldo Moro, the 1969 Piazza Fontana terror attack, and the murder of Milan police commissioner Luigi Calabresi in 1972. In an interview with Turin daily La Stampa, Li Gotti expressed feeling “betrayed as a citizen” over the release of Almasri, whom he described as an “executioner,” and criticized alleged misinformation surrounding the case.
Li Gotti, who served as justice undersecretary with the Prodi government from 2006 to 2008, alleged that the Rome court of appeals, which ordered Almasri’s release due to a procedural oversight involving Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, attempted communication but received no response as events had been prearranged. He claimed evidence of this was the deployment of a Falcon jet to Turin.
Almasri, the director of Tripoli’s Mitiga detention center, is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, torture, rape, and sexual violence in Libya from February 2015 onwards. Despite being deemed dangerous by Interior Minister Piantedosi and expelled from Italy, Almasri was released and flown back to Libya following a technical issue with his case, departing on a State flight to Tripoli.