Rome, 28 January 2025 (dpa/MIA) - Investigations have been launched against Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni over the release of a Libyan wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

The right-wing politician announced the development herself in a video message posted on social media on Tuesday. She said she was being investigated for allegedly aiding and abetting a war crimes suspect.

Osama Almasri Najeem, head of the Libyan criminal investigation department, was released last week after being arrested in Turin a few days earlier on an ICC warrant for war crimes. The court in The Hague said it had not been informed of the release and had therefore demanded an explanation from Italy.

Meloni's government has been criticized since the release of the Libyan, who is also the head of a detention centre in the Libyan capital, Tripoli. According to several media reports, Almasri Najeem was flown back to the Libyan capital in an Italian state aeroplane.

The man had initially been released due to a "legal technicality," the government explained. The police who arrested him had not informed the Ministry of Justice in Rome about the detention, as required.

After a court refused to confirm his detention, the government ordered his deportation due to his "social danger".

Meloni added that the public prosecutor was also investigating Justice Minister Carlo Nordio and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi.

The fact that Meloni is under investigation does not mean that formal charges will necessarily follow against her and the ministers.

Italy has close ties with the Libyan government. The country's coast guard often picks up migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean and returns them to Libya, preventing many people from continuing their journey and arriving on Italy's shores.

Photo: epa