The Senate on Wednesday voted
against granting authorisation to prosecutors in Sicily to
proceed with a case of alleged kidnapping against Interior
Minister Matteo Salvini for refusing to allow over 100 migrants
to disembark from the Diciotti coast guard ship for several days
during a standoff with the EU last summer.
The result will not be official until voting stops at 19:00
but the electronic screen in the Upper House already shows that
the majority is against stripping Salvini, who is also Deputy
Premier and League leader, of his parliamentary immunity.
Earlier on Wednesday Salvini told the Senate that his
handling of the case protected the interests of the Italian
people.
"I'd have to lie to the Senate of the Italian people in order
to go to trial and say that I did not act for the public
interest," League leader Salvini said.
So the senate floor has backed the decision last month by the
upper house's parliamentary immunity panel not to lift Salvini's
immunity to face trial in the case.
Salvini's League and the lawmakers from his coalition
partners, the 5-Star Movement (M5S), were expected to vote
against stripping the minister of his parliamentary immunity as
was Silvio Berlusconi's opposition centre-right Forza Italia.
But some members of the M5S were unhappy about this stance
and one of the movement's Senators said he would buck the party
line.
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