Premier Giorgia Meloni has agreed to
meet the new head of magistrates union ANM amid a dispute over
controversial plans to reform the Italian justice system and
amid a string of other political-judicial issues in Italy.
Rightwing Brothers of Italy (FdI) leader Meloni responded
positively to a request for a meeting with the government by the
newly elected head of the ANM, Cesare Prodi, who is a member of
a right-wing faction in Italy's famously politicised judiciary,
Magistratura Indipendente.
Parodi in the meantime confirmed a magistrates' strike on
February 27 against the plan to separate the career paths of
judges and prosecutors so they can no longer switch between the
two.
The ANM and opposition politicians say this is a move aimed at
eventually putting prosecutors under the wing of the government
and allegedly weakening Italy's balance of powers, a suggestion
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio has consistently rejected.
The centre-right members of the Italian judiciary's self
governing body, the Supreme Council of Magistrates (CSM), have
in the meantime requested the transfer for reasons of
"environmental incompatibility" of Rome prosecutor Francesco Lo
Voi over a case of an Italian external secret service AISI
document on Meloni Chef de Cabinet Gaetano Caputi which was sent
to the Rome prosecutors' office and published by leftwing daily
Domani.
Lo Voi was already at the centre of a clash with Meloni after he
informed her that she, Nordio, Justice Minister Matteo
Piantedosi and Cabinet Secretary with the intelligence brief
Alfredo Mantovano were the subject of a lawyerss complaint over
the arrest, release and flight back to Libya of a Libyan alleged
torturer, murderer and rapist of migrants, General Osama
Almasri, wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for
alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Nordio and Piantedosi told parliament last week that Almasri,
subject of a complaint from former centre-left justice
undersecretary, ex neofascist militant, and ex Mafia informant
attorney Luigi Lo Gotti, had to be freed because of errors in
the ICC warrant and because he was a danger to Italy.
The opposition ha said that it was Meloni who took the decision
to free the head of Libya's judicial police because he is a key
cog in the Italian-funded machinery keeping many migrants in
Libya, and because of Italy's oil interests in the North African
country.
Meloni, who is facing insistent calls to brief parliament
herself on the case, has adamantly denied this sating she is not
susceptible to blackmail.
On Friday Italy failed to vote along with 79 member countries of
the ICC against US President Donald Trump's sanctions against
ICC officials and staff investigating Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu for alleged war crimes in Gaza, along with a
Hamas leader.
Centre-left Democratic Party (PD) leader Elly Schlein has
accused the premier of being a "chicken" in allegedly running
away from these issues.
She and 5-Star Movement (M5S) leader and ex-premier Giuseppe
Conte said Saturday "the premier is without honour, she's
fleeing parliament," urging Meloni to report on Almasri and the
ICC.
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said "I don't believe there is a
war between state powers," adding that "peace talks are needed".
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