In the Gregoretti case, the prosecutor still requests the “no place to proceed” for Matteo Salvini. Controversies out of court

It began in the Serafino Famà room of the Palace of Justice of Catania, the preliminary hearing to request the indictment of Matteo salvini. The former Minister of the Interior is accused of aggravated kidnapping, punishable by up to 15 years in prison, for the matter of Gregoretti boat since July 2019: this is the first case related to the management of migrants Salvini’s plaque that ends in front of a judge. As expected, the prosecutor headed by Carmelo Zuccaro and represented by the deputy prosecutor Andrea Bonomo He asked for the dismissal against the secretary of the League: he had already done it in September 2019, but then the court of ministers intervened to establish that he should reach the courtroom. Even the lawyer for the secretary of the Northern League Giulia Bongiorno requested sentence of there is no place to proceed because the fact does not exist. Alternatively, the GUP is urged to listen to the current Minister of the Interior Luciana Lamorgese to understand whether the landing procedures contested against Salvini have also been put into practice by the current government. The word now goes to the gup Nunzio Sarpietro, retired in council chamber.

Also present in court is the lawyer Massimo Ferrante, representing four of the injured parties identified in the process: a couple of nigerians and her two sons, ages 10 and 6, who were aboard the Coast Guard ship. Meanwhile, the demonstration organized by the “Committee never with Salvini Sicilia” started outside. “We already have the sentence. Salvini m… ”, reads a banner displayed in Piazza Trento, a short distance from the Palace of Justice. And again: “Justice does not make a court.” In the parade they are present for now 500 people. As reported by those present, some boys push two supermarket carts full of rolls of toilet paper in which the face of the league leader is portrayed.

Salvini’s day actually started a few hours earlier, with a coffee at three among the big names of the center-right. In fact, to face the first hearing, the leader of the Carroccio gathered all his allies in Catania, organizing a three-day meeting that coincides with the eve of municipal on the island. Next to him in a hotel on the seafront of the Sicilian city were the vice president of Forza Italia Antonio Tajani and the president of Fratelli d’Italia Giorgia Meloni. Initially, the meeting was scheduled in Piazza Duomo, but the prefect asked to move it safety reasons. We are here “for one just justice and not politicized, to defend the right of politics to make decisions, ”Tajani tweeted in the morning. Meloni also did not lose his support, telling reporters that he “saw good, calm and receptive” to the former head of the Interior Ministry. “I suppose there is also nervousness. I don’t think anyone for doing that job could have imagined going to court. For people like us, going to court is serious business. But i found it very combative“.

Presiding over the audience is the Gup Nunzio Sarpietro, called to decide whether to accept again the request for dismissal advanced by the prosecutor or whether to process the leader of the Northern League. The accusation is of having abused his powers to deprive of personal liberty i 131 migrants trapped aboard the Gregoretti from 00:35 on July 27, 2019 until the afternoon of July 31 “following, when the Italian Coast Guard ship received authorization to disembark in the port of Augusta, in Syracuse. Allegations that The former minister has always vigorously rejected, as he reiterated in his 50-page defensive brief presented to the Catania judge’s secretary, explaining that “there has been no illegal deprivation of personal liberty, pending the organization of the transfer” “final destination“The Etna city district attorney had requested that the file be closed, but the Court of Ministers considered that the preliminary hearing should pass and the Senate granted authorization to proceed.