M5S members vote against Salvini trial

(ANSA) - Rome, February 19 - Members of the 5-Star Movement (M5S) on Monday voted for the anti-establishment group's lawmakers to vote against granting a request from magistrates to proceed with a criminal case against Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini. Just over 59% of the M5S members who voted on the movement's Rousseau platform said they were in favour of the parliamentary immunity of Salvini being maintained. Magistrates in the Sicilian city of Catania requested authorization from parliament to proceed against Salvini, who the leader of the League, the M5S's coalition partners, for alleged kidnapping over migrants held on board the Diciotti coast guard ship in a standoff with the EU last August. Salvini, who had said the case should not be allowed to proceed as he was doing his job as minister, thanked the M5S's members for their confidence and M5S leader and fellow Deputy Premier Luigi Di Maio for behaving in a "correct" way. "We leave space open for democracy," said Di Maio.
    "We'll go forward with the line decided upon by our members".
    Some M5S supporters expressed unease about backing immunity for Salvini, saying the movement has traditionally been against MPs getting different treatment in such cases.