The head of the Italian cabinet did not take long to decide what was more important: punishing the Libyan criminal or continuing to use him to fight the flow of illegal migrants
Roman prosecutors have opened an investigation against Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in connection with the release of a senior Libyan security official, Najim Al-Masri, also known as Al-Masri. He is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) on suspicion of war crimes and crimes against humanity. Justice Minister Carlo Nordio and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi have also been implicated in the case.
«The fact is that what’s happening is hurting the country first and foremost. <…> Frankly, it’s driving me crazy», Meloni said at a conference in Milan on January 30, stressing that the case was casting a shadow over Italy’s international image and noting that news of her investigation had made the front page of the Financial Times.
The scandal is linked to Brigadier General Al-Masri, who is in charge of the Coast Guard and the Mitiga prison near Tripoli. According to the ICC, he is considered a particularly dangerous international criminal. The general is accused of murdering 34 people and committing sexual violence against 22 individuals, including a 5-year-old child. The crimes took place in the prison under his jurisdiction since February 2015. In this regard, Al-Masri has been placed on the international wanted list.
The general, accompanied by his security detail, arrived in Turin on January 18 to attend a soccer match between Juventus and AC Milan. He was recognized by an Italian journalist investigating the activities of the Libyan criminal and reported him to the police. The next day, Al-Masri was arrested by police at a hotel on an ICC warrant. On January 21, however, he was released due to a «procedural error» and sent back to his homeland on an Italian government plane, where he was welcomed as a national hero.
Meloni had to make the difficult decision to release him in a hurry, literally on the eve of her departure to Washington for the inauguration of President Donald Trump, who was one of the few top officials to invite her to the symbolic event.
The Italian press made a big deal out of the Al-Masri incident and the failure to comply with the ICC’s request. The media advanced the theory that Najim was released for a reason. After all, he is in charge of the coast guard and is using the forces under his control to reduce the flow of illegal migrants by sea from Libya to Italy.
Regarding the violation of the arrest warrant, Italy’s Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani stated that Italy, as a sovereign state, can decide on such matters independently.
I should note (by the way) that this country is one of the founders of the ICC, and the treaty that established the court — the Rome Statute — was signed in the Italian capital.
Lawyer Luigi Li Gotti, a sympathizer of left-wing opposition parties, filed a complaint with the prosecutor’s office requesting an investigation. It is now known that the case has been referred to the special «Ministers’ Court». This is a unique body within the judicial system empowered to deal with possible misconduct by government officials. It has 90 days to make a decision: either to dismiss the material for lack of a crime, or to ask Parliament for permission for a trial, which could be unprecedented in post-war Italy.
For your information, Meloni’s supporters currently hold a majority in both houses of Parliament, and according to the latest polls, more than 30% of citizens support the Prime Minister. At first glance, this seems enough to allow Giorgia and her associates to avoid possible prosecution.
What is the threat? If the «Ministers’ Court» decides to launch its investigation, it will trigger a government crisis and ultimately lead to early parliamentary elections.
Meloni, by the way, already has plenty of domestic problems. The European Union’s third-largest economy performed worse than expected at the end of last year. According to Istat, the statistics agency in Rome, on January 30, Italy failed to achieve even a minimal increase in GDP in the last quarter, contrary to forecasts, and growth stagnated for the second consecutive three-month period. This is an alarming signal.
At 48, Giorgia is a determined leader. She has risen from an activist in ultra-right and even neo-fascist youth organizations to head the far-right but decidedly handshake-friendly Brothers of Italy and the Party of European Conservatives and Reformists. In 2022, she became Italy’s first female prime minister. She has taken a hard line on immigration and has repeatedly called for a naval blockade of ships carrying migrants from Libya. Thus, Brigadier General Al-Masri, who she is confident will continue to do her bidding, remains a useful tool. It is worth recalling that not long ago Meloni managed to charm Viktor Orbán, who shares her political spirit, and persuade the Hungarian leader to lift his veto on aid to Ukraine. And now she will manage on her own, without even asking Trump for help.