ROME (Reuters) -Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said on Tuesday she had been placed under judicial investigation over her country’s surprise release of a Libyan police officer wanted by the International Criminal Court.
Osama Elmasry Njeem, also known as Osama Almasri Njeem, was released last week after being detained a few days earlier under an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity.
The ICC demanded an explanation, saying it had not been consulted over the decision.
Meloni said in a message posted on social media that she was suspected by prosecutors of embezzlement and aiding and abetting a crime in connection with the case.
She is under no obligation to resign, and being placed under investigation in Italy does not imply guilt, nor mean that formal charges will necessarily follow.
“I will not be blackmailed, I will not allow myself to be intimidated, which is why I am, let’s say, disliked by those who do not want Italy to change and become better,” Meloni said in a video posted on her Facebook profile.
Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and the cabinet undersecretary for intelligence matters, Alfredo Mantovano have also been placed under investigation, Meloni said.
(Reporting by Angelo Amante and Alvise Armellini, editing by Gavin Jones)
