Meloni and top officials under scrutiny over Libya-ICC case

ROME – Italy’s Tribunal of Ministers is weighing criminal charges against Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and top officials over the government’s controversial release of a Libyan general wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The tribunal, a special judicial body that investigates and prosecutes crimes committed by sitting government ministers, has wrapped up its inquiry into Italy’s failure to transfer Libyan General Osama Najeem Almasri to the ICC, according to reports by Corriere della Sera and La Repubblica.

Almasri, the former head of Libya’s judicial police, was arrested in Turin on 19 January under an ICC arrest warrant for alleged murder, torture, and rape linked to abuses at the Mitiga detention centre in Tripoli.

Just two days later, Almasri was released and flown back to Libya aboard an Italian Air Force plane.

Besides Meloni, those in the tribunal’s crosshairs include Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, and Undersecretary Alfredo Mantovano, with possible charges including dereliction of duty.

Tribunal documents show that Nordio’s chief of staff, Giusi Bartolozzi, was informed of Almasri’s arrest on the afternoon of 19 January - contradicting repeated government statements that the ministry learned of the case later, leaving “no time to act”.

The revelations have sparked fierce political backlash. Opposition lawmakers are demanding Nordio’s resignation and calling for Meloni to address parliament over what they describe as a "politically orchestrated operation."

“It’s now proven: Nordio lied to parliament,” said Roberto Giachetti of liberal Italia Viva. “He must resign immediately.”

Democratic Party MP Debora Serracchiani added that the decision to liberate Almasri and fly him home on a government jet was a “deliberate political act” for which Meloni must be held accountable.

Meanwhile, the ICC has launched proceedings against Italy for obstructing justice. Italy has already submitted an official defence to the Hague-based court, as part of a procedural step allowing states to justify their actions before the Court rules on non-cooperation. However, the ICC prosecutor has rejected several of Italy’s arguments as unsubstantiated.