The former Minister of the Interior and current Minister of Transport is accused of kidnapping and failing to perform official acts, after having prevented the disembarkation of 147 people, including minors, rescued by the NGO Open Arms in three rescue operations in August 2019 for 19 days.
The Palermo Prosecutor’s Office requested 6 years in prison for the accused, in addition to accessory penalties, during the hearing on September 14, 2024. The request is addressed to the current Deputy Prime Minister, who at the time was head of the Ministry of the Interior, and is accused of the events related to the 65th mission of the NGO Open Arms in August 2019.
The legal case began in November 2019, when the Palermo Prosecutor’s Office asked the Palermo Court’s College for Ministerial Offenses to open an investigation against Senator Matteo Salvini, then Minister of the Interior, based on information obtained from the Agrigento Prosecutor’s Office. The investigations revolve around several accusations arising from the events of August of that year, related to the disembarkation of migrants of different nationalities rescued aboard the Open Arms.
This is a unique process of its kind, since for the first time in the history of the Italian Republic, a minister is indicted for actions taken in the exercise of his office. The Palermo prosecutors have requested that the defendant be held criminally responsible for the crimes of kidnapping and omission of official acts, arguing that there was a “willful and conscious disregard for the rules and a deliberate and voluntary denial of personal liberty to 147 people.”
The verdict is expected on December 20 in Palermo, where the final hearing of the first instance trial will take place at the Casa Circondariale “Pagliarelli” court. Oscar Camps, founder of the NGO Open Arms, lawyer Arturo Salerni, and Marc Reig Creus, captain of the Open Arms during the 65th mission in 2019, will be present.
Acceso al Informe completo del proceso judicial contra Matteo Salvini
Badalona a 10 de diciembre, 2024
Laura Lanuza
DPTO PRENSA OPEN ARMS +34 649869001 – laura@openarms.es
