Meloni cleared over release of Libyan official wanted by ICC

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Monday she had been cleared of involvement in the controversial release of a Libyan official wanted for war crimes, AFP reports. Osama Almasri Najim, head of Libya’s judicial police, was arrested in Turin in January on an International Criminal Court warrant but was freed days later on procedural grounds and flown back to Tripoli aboard an Italian military aircraft.

Meloni said prosecutors found she had not been informed of Najim’s arrest and could not have influenced the outcome. Critics had condemned the decision to release Najim, accused of rape, murder and torture linked to his role at Tripoli’s Mitiga detention centre.

Italy’s justice and interior ministers, along with the official overseeing intelligence services, remain under investigation. Meloni defended their actions, arguing they would not have acted without her input. A trial would require parliamentary approval, where Meloni’s right-wing coalition holds a majority.