Court Seeks to Prosecute Ministers Over Almasri Release
Rome: The Rome Tribunal of Ministers has sent a request to parliament to prosecute Justice Minister Nordio, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, and Cabinet Secretary Alfredo Mantovano over Italy’s release earlier this year of a Libyan general wanted for war crimes.
According to Ansa News Agency, the case concerns Njeem Osama Almasri, who was arrested on an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant at a hotel in Turin on January 19 and returned to Tripoli on a State flight after his release by a Rome appeals court on January 21. Almasri, the head of Libya’s judicial police, is charged with torture, rape, and murder related to his management of a detention center in Tripoli.
Almasri’s release followed Justice Minister Nordio’s failure to respond to the Rome appeals court’s request to back the arrest. The Tribunal of Ministers claims that the officials released Almasri due to fears of reprisals against Italian citizens and interests in Libya if he were handed over to the ICC.
Nordio, Piantedosi, and Mantova
no, who oversees Italy’s intelligence services, face accusations of aiding and abetting Almasri’s return to Libya. The justice minister is also accused of neglecting his duties.
Premier Giorgia Meloni disclosed that she had been notified of the dismissal of the case against her in relation to Almasri’s release. She expressed her support for her cabinet members, criticizing the court’s decision to seek prosecution against Nordio, Piantedosi, and Mantovano while excluding her, arguing that government decisions are made collectively.
Angela Maria Bitonti, a lawyer for an Ivorian woman tortured by Almasri, announced plans to file a petition against the decision to dismiss the case against Meloni. The head of the Lower House’s authorization panel indicated that it would begin reviewing the Tribunal of Ministers’ requests by the end of September.
The requests to prosecute Nordio, Piantedosi, and Mantovano require parliamentary approval, where Meloni’s ruling center-right coalition holds a significant majority.