Deputy Premier and Transport Minister
Matteo Salvini said on Monday night that he will not be
accepting a plea deal in the Open Arms case in which Palermo
prosecutors have requested a six-year prison term for him for
allegedly kidnapping 147 migrants on board the Spanish NGO ship
who he stopped from landing at Lampedusa on August 14-20, 2019.
The measure was part of the League leader's controversial closed
ports policy for NGO-run migrant rescue ships when he was
interior minister five years ago.
"I am not plea bargaining, I am convinced that I am right and I
will go forward until the Cassation", Italy's highest appeals
court, the League leader told the 'Quarta Repubblica' program of
Mediaset's Rete 4.
Salvini went on to state that he would not be accepting a deal
"because I believe that I defended the security of my country
and that I kept a promise", noting that he had told voters to
choose him so he would "reduce landings".
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