Lower House Rejects No Confidence Motion Against Justice Minister Nordio

Rome: The Lower House on Wednesday rejected a no confidence motion filed against Justice Minister Carlo Nordio over his handling of the arrest, release, and return to Libya of an alleged war criminal wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC), Libyan judicial police chief General Osama Almasri.

According to Ansa News Agency, the motion was defeated by 215 votes to 119, with the centrist opposition party Azione choosing not to follow the rest of the centre-left by not taking part in the vote.

Nordio earlier told the House that he was being attacked to avoid a reform of the judiciary aimed at separating the career paths of judges and prosecutors and at changing the way members of the judiciary’s self-governing body are elected.

He also accused opposition members of reminding him of the “inquisition” and denied delaying his response to Rome’s appeals court, which allowed Almasri to be released from detention two days after his January 19 arrest on an ICC warrant in Turin and return to Libya on a State flight.