Italy was not the port of
safety (POS) in the case of the Open Arms migrant rescue ship
former interior minister Matteo Salvini is accused of keeping at
sea for days in 'kidnapping' the migrants aboard, Salvini has
told the Senate immunity panel in his defence report on the
case, seeking to avoid having his parliamentary immunity lifted
to face trial.
"The indication of the POS was up to Spain or Malta", he
said.
Salvini said the commander of the ship deliberately ignored
the POS indicated by Spain, wasting precious time with the sole
aim of landing the migrants in Sicily, Salvini said.
Salvini said the skipper had already done so in March 2018
and had been charged with private violence and favouring
clandestine immigration.
Anti-migrant nationalist League leader Salvini said "Italy
did not have any competence or obligation with reference to all
the rescues carried out by the Spanish ship Open Arms, which
took place outside its area of pertinence.
"This is shown by the exchange of correspondence between
Valletta and Madrid in the early days of August 2019.
"It is surely the State whose flag the ship was flying that
must indicate the POS in the case of operations carried out by
NGO ships in autonomy".
The Open Arms case will come before the Senate immunity panel
on February 27.
The Senate voted in full session last week for Salvini to
face trial in another migrant 'kidnap' case, regarding the
Gregoretti coast guard ship.
Salvini operated a closed ports policy for NGO migrant rescue
ships during his term as interior minister from May 2018 to July
2019.
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