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The former minister and head of the Liga party, Salvini, appeared on Saturday morning before a judge at the Catania Court in Sicily, where he attended a preliminary hearing on charges of abuse of power and detention of people.
Salvini is accused of keeping 116 refugees in July 2019 for a week aboard the coast guard ship Grigoretti, without allowing them to disembark, while some of them were disembarked for health reasons.
The Salvini defense team insists that the decision to detain the refugees on board was not just Salvini’s decision, but was made collectively by the government.
A date was set for the next session on November 20, and the judge in charge of the process decided to also listen to the Prime Minister and current Minister of the Interior Luciana Lamorgues and Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio.
Salvini attacked the judiciary, saying: “I prefer that the judges dedicate their efforts to defeat the mafia and criminals, and I will admit my guilt for defending Italy and Italians.”
“I am advancing with my head held high, and I am sure that I always acted in defense of the homeland and for the safety of Italians,” he said after the trial.
Salvini could face a prison sentence of up to 15 years, while Italian senators lifted his parliamentary immunity last February.
For his part, Salvini summoned his followers to Catania to organize solidarity rallies for a period of three days, during which he wanted to show popular support, and deputies from the League and allies from other right-wing parties announced their participation.
On Saturday morning, about 500 people demonstrated against Salvini in the vicinity of the court, while he also faces a similar trial in Palermo, Sicily, for detaining people in August 2019 aboard the humanitarian ship Open Arms that was found near Lampedusa.
During the 14 months he spent as Interior Minister, Salvini always refused to receive or assist any ship carrying refugees, leaving them stranded at sea, until other European countries helped and received them.
