A Genoa court on Thursday upheld a petition from prosecutors to seize funds from Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini's League party in relation to a case of electoral-reimbursement fraud.
Former League leader Umberto Bossi, former treasurer Francesco Belsito and three ex auditors have been convicted over the fraud.
They were found guilty of fraud against the State estimated at 49 million euros between 2008 and 2010 - before Salvini took the helm of the party in 2013 - for irregularities in electoral spending reimbursements.
Up to now around three million euros have been seized from the rightwing party and its treasury currently holds around five million euros. Salvini said that he was not worried after the ruling. "It's a past affair," Salvini told a news conference.
"I'm tranquil. The lawyers will make their decisions.
"If they want to take everything from us, they can go ahead.
"The Italian people are with us".
But later in the day he posted a tweet saying he was furious.
"I work for the security of the Italian people and they investigate me for KIDNAPPING (30 years in prison)," Salvini said referring to the probe over a recent standoff when the minister refused to let over 100 migrants rescued by the Coast Guard land in Italy. "I work to change Italy and Europe and they block all the (party's) current accounts over alleged mistakes that took place 10 years ago. "If someone thinks that they can stop me or scare me they are mistaken. "I am not giving up and I'm working with even more determination. Smiling and furious".
Premier Giuseppe Conte said "No" on when asked if he thought the ruling would affect the government. That line was echoed by Labour and Industry Minister and Deputy Premier Luigi Di Maio, the leader of the League's government coalition partner, the 5-Star Movement (M5S). "As I have always said, the events the League is accused of date back to the time of (former leader Umberto) Bossi," Di Maio said. "They regard the period before Salvini's leadership of the League. "Will it affect the government? Not from our side".
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