Rome prosecutors have sent the
complaint of a victim of alleged torture by Osama Almasri to the
Tribunal of Ministers, which is looking at why the Libyan
judicial police chief was released by Italy after being arrested
in Turin in January on an International Criminal Court (ICC)
warrant on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity,
sources said on Tuesday
Premier Giorgia Meloni, Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, Interior
Minister Matteo Piantedosi and Cabinet Undersecretary with the
intelligence brief Alfredo Mantovano are under investigation in
the case after attorney Luigi Li Gotti filed a criminal
complaint against them.
Almasri, wanted over the alleged torture, rape and murder of
migrants at a detention centre he runs, was arrested by Italian
security police after attending a Juventus soccer match in Turin
on January 19 only to be released on a technicality and flown
back to Libya to a hero's welcome two days later.
Nordio has blamed errors in the ICC warrants, which he described
as a "mess", while Piantedosi has said Rome was forced to expel
the general as a danger to Italy.
The prosecutors sent the complaint presented on February 3 by
Lam Magok Biel Ruei, a Sudanese citizen who was a victim and
witness of Almasri's alleged torture.
The Tribunal of Ministers has requested documents regarding the
case from the justice and interior ministries.
On Tuesday the Lower House was debating a motion of no
confidence in Nordio over his handling of the Almasri case.
Li Gotti, a former justice undersecretary under ex centre left
premier Romano Prodi and a neofascist militant in his youth,
complained that Meloni and the other Italian officials had
allegedly aided and abetted Almasri's continued ability to
commit crimes by sending him back to his post at Tripoli's
notorious Mitiga Prison, and had further allegedly embezzled
public funds by using a secret service plane to fly him back
there.
The ICC has requested an explanation of why Italy did not hand
Almasri over to the court in The Hague.
According to his charge sheet, Almasri tortured and murdered
migrants and raped a boy of five.
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