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Tajani blasts Rome prosecutor over Almasri case

Lo Voi not working in Italy's interest says foreign minister

Tajani blasts Rome prosecutor over Almasri case

Redazione Ansa

(ANSA) - ROME, JAN 30 - Deputy Premier and Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani on Thursday blasted Rome Chief Prosecutor Francesco Lo Voi for notifying Premier Giorgia Meloni and other members of the government that the case of a Libyan police official who was sent back home from Italy after being detained on an International Criminal Court arrest warrant was being looked at following a complaint by a lawyer.
    "In my opinion, this decision does not work in Italy's interest," Tajani said on the sidelines of a press conference on health care of his Forza Italia party.
    "The problem is the magistrate's decision to put ministers on the court of ministers' register of people under investigation.
    "This was not an obligatory act.
    "So it was a choice. I hope it was not linked to other events, the result of a request by a lawyer who had been in a left-wing government and who is part of the opposition's camp.
    "In my opinion, a servant of the State must consider whether or not choices that are more than risky are in the interest of Italy before making a decision".
    The notification was issued after attorney Luigi Li Gotti, a former centre-left justice undersecretary from 2006 until 2008, filed a criminal complaint on January 23.
    Magistrates union ANM has said the notification Lo Voi sent Meloni and some other ministers was an obligatory formality after the complaint was filed.
    Libyan judicial police commander Najeem Osama Almasri Habish, wanted for crimes against humanity and war crimes by the ICC over the alleged rape and murder of migrants in a Tripoli jail, was arrested in Turin on January 19, released on a technicality two days later and flown back to Libya aboard an Italian secret service plane.
    Meloni said Tuesday that she had received notice of a probe into possible aiding and abetting and embezzlement of public funds from Lo Voi, recalling that he had unsuccessfully prosecuted Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini for allegedly abducting migrants as part of his closed ports policy to migrant rescue ships as interior minister in 2019.
    She said the same notice had been sent to Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and cabinet secretary with the intelligence brief Alfredo Mantovano.
    Tajani added that Almasri was "not a saint" and had been expelled from Italy on Piantedosi's orders because he was "dangerous". (ANSA).
   

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