Italian far-right Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini faces six years in prison when he hears a Sicilian court’s ruling on Friday on his August 2019 decision to block the construction of a rescue boat for migrants.
The prosecutor accuses Salvini, then interior minister, of kidnapping and dereliction of duty for not allowing migrants to disembark from the Open Arms charity boat.
The Open Arms, which was carrying around 160 migrants from Africa who had crossed the Mediterranean in an attempt to reach the European Union, was forced to remain at sea for three weeks before it was finally allowed to dock on the Italian island of Lampedusa.
As conditions on board deteriorated and desperation grew, several people jumped into the water and tried to swim to shore.
More than three years ago, proceedings against Salvini began at a court in the Sicilian capital Palermo.
Prosecutors have asked for him to serve a six-year prison sentence. Salvini says he is being politically persecuted by ‘communist’ judges pursuing a left-wing agenda. His defense team is demanding an acquittal.
Even if convicted, the 51-year-old has made it clear he plans to remain in office. Friday’s verdict is not final.
Salvini is leader of the right-wing League party and one of the central figures in Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s coalition. The ruling parties rallied around Salvini as he defended himself in the case.
He is now Minister of Infrastructure and Transport. But he first made a name for himself across Europe for his crackdown on migrants and the charity ships that operated in the Mediterranean in 2018 and 2019.
