Italy’s supreme Court of Cassation has postponed to 17 December a hearing on the per saltum appeal filed by the Palermo Prosecutor’s Office against the acquittal of Deputy Premier and Transport Minister Matteo Salvini in the Open Arms case.
The Fifth Section of the court was due to examine the case on Thursday. Prosecutors had asked the court to overturn Salvini’s acquittal on charges of kidnapping and refusal to perform official duties.
The prosecutor-general of the Cassation has already stated that Salvini does not appear to have a case to answer.
Salvini, leader of the right-wing League, has long framed the proceedings as politically driven. When the date was set in late September, he called the review of his acquittal “a present from the Left”.
A Palermo court ruled in December last year that Salvini had no case to answer in relation to the 2019 incident. At the time, the then-interior minister blocked the disembarkation of 147 migrants rescued by the Spanish NGO vessel Open Arms during his closed-ports policy.
“Defending the homeland is not a crime,” Salvini said after that ruling.
Prosecutors’ Appeal
The Palermo Prosecutor’s Office bypassed the appeals court by filing a per saltum petition. Prosecutors had originally sought a six-year jail term, arguing that Salvini unlawfully prevented the migrants’ disembarkation on Lampedusa for almost three weeks.
State lawyers said Salvini had violated national and international law and acted beyond his powers, as national security was not at risk.
Salvini Confident of Outcome
Salvini said he remained confident the supreme court would uphold the acquittal.
Revealing the original December hearing date, he said: “I just learned that on December 11th… the Left is sending me to the Supreme Court of Cassation as a gift.”
He added: “It could end in two ways. Positive, and I promise to come back to celebrate; they confirm the acquittal because I didn’t commit a crime, I defended the borders and the honour of my country. Or they could overturn the 268 pages of my acquittal and send me back to trial where I risk six years in prison. If they overturn the acquittal, I’ll still return to Lamezia Terme to celebrate because I defended my country and it’s not a crime.”
The case continues on 17 December, when the court will decide whether the acquittal stands or a new trial must begin.
