House Panel Rejects Trial for Italian Ministers in Libyan General Case
Rome: The Lower House Prosecution Authorizations Committee has decided against a ministerial court’s request to proceed with charges against Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, and Cabinet Secretary Alfredo Mantovano regarding the controversial Almasri affair. The case involves Libyan General Njeem Osama Almasri, who was initially arrested and then released and repatriated by Italian authorities amid accusations of crimes against humanity.
According to Ansa News Agency, the Rome Tribunal of Ministers had petitioned parliament to prosecute Nordio, Piantedosi, and Mantovano over Almasri’s release earlier this year. The Libyan general, wanted for war crimes, was apprehended at a hotel in Turin on January 19 under an International Criminal Court (ICC) warrant but was later returned to Tripoli following a ruling from a Rome appeals court on January 21.
Almasri, who was dismissed from his position as head of Libya’s judicial police on the same day, faces charges of torture, rape, and murder related to his management of a Tripoli detention center. His release was purportedly ordered after Justice Minister Nordio failed to respond to the appeals court’s request to uphold the arrest, leading to allegations from the Tribunal of Ministers that the officials sought to avoid potential reprisals against Italian interests in Libya.
Nordio, Piantedosi, and Mantovano are accused of aiding Almasri’s return to Libya, with the justice minister also facing accusations of neglecting his duties. Premier Giorgia Meloni, whose case related to Almasri’s release was dropped in August, has publicly supported her cabinet members, criticizing the legal actions as “absurd” since government decisions are collective.
The requests to prosecute the ministers require parliamentary approval, unlikely to happen given Meloni’s center-right coalition’s significant majority. Meanwhile, Angela Maria Bitonti, representing an Ivorian woman tortured by Almasri, has filed a petition against the decision to dismiss the case against Meloni.
Almasri has been relieved of his duties and replaced by General Suleiman Ajaj as head of judicial security operations, according to the Libyan website al-Masdar, known for releasing the controversial video of Almasri’s alleged criminal acts. The reorganization within Libya’s judicial police, led by General Abdul Fattah Dubub, aims to rehabilitate the country’s image following the serious allegations against Almasri.