Almasri case: Opposition members attack Nordio: "He lied, he must resign."

Opposition groups have unleashed their forces against Minister of Justice Carlo Nordio following La Repubblica 's indiscretion about the Almasri case . Both the Democratic Party and the AVS are calling for the Minister of Justice's resignation because "he allegedly lied during an urgent briefing to Parliament" and therefore "he cannot remain in his role even a second longer," commented Debora Serracchiani , Justice Secretary for the Democratic Party. "It is unacceptable for a minister to distort the facts and deceive Parliament: anyone who lies must take responsibility and leave his post," echoed Marco Grimaldi of the AVS. "Nordio no longer has the credibility and authority to remain in his post," said the M5S.

The fact

The Tribunal of Ministers in Rome has reportedly concluded its investigation into the Italian government's failure to hand over Libyan General Najeem Osama Almasri to the International Criminal Court and is expected to deliver its decisions in the coming days: either dismissal or a request for indictment against one or more government members under investigation, namely Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni , Undersecretary to the Prime Minister Alfredo Mantovano, Nordio, and Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi , accused of aiding and abetting and embezzlement, and the Minister of Justice alone of failure to perform official duties. The documents confirm that Nordio's chief of staff, Giusi Bartolozzi , knew what was happening and instructed the magistrates of the Department of Justice Affairs (DAG) to speak with caution. In the early afternoon of that same day, when Almasri had been detained a few hours earlier by the Turin DIGOS, the then head of the DAG, Luigi Birritteri (who later resigned and returned to his role), wrote an email to Bartolozzi to indicate the lack of authorization for the wanted man's arrest, and to work towards validating the arrest and handing over Almarsi. Less than an hour later, Bartolozzi responded that she had already been informed, urging caution: "Maximum confidentiality and caution" when sharing information, and the use of Signal, a system that ensures greater confidentiality in communications, without emails or registered documents. 'La Repubblica' also reports on this email, stating that "the data is crucial because it demonstrates that Italy had plenty of time to 'repair' the procedural error highlighted by the Rome Court of Appeal regarding the Ministry of Justice's failure to transmit the information. And that it did not want to do so due to a specific political choice. Furthermore, it contradicts Minister Nordio's statement that the office was notified of the Libyan criminal's arrest only on Monday, January 20."

The reactions.

"Minister Nordio lied to Parliament. He was fully aware of the arrest warrant since Sunday and could have organized the entire procedure transparently and efficiently. Instead, he chose to accuse us of not having read or understood the documents, when it is clear that he deliberately manipulated them. It is unacceptable for a minister to distort the facts and deceive Parliament: anyone who lies must take responsibility and leave his post," added Marco Grimaldi , deputy leader of the AVS group in the Chamber of Deputies. "After the closed doors at Piantedosi, we have every right to know with whom, and under what conditions, the memorandum with Libya was renewed. We are in the hands of a government of incompetents. They allow themselves to be blackmailed and are not even capable of demanding respect."