MILAN – A judge in Sicily has dismissed a case against right-wing leader Matteo Salvini for keeping rescued migrants on board a coast guard ship in 2019, saying no crime had been committed.
Salvini had faced a possible indictment in the Sicilian port of Catania on charges of kidnapping for not allowing the migrants to disembark for five days that summer while he was interior minister.
Prosecutors had earlier recommended against ordering a trial, saying Salvini was carrying out government policy. Salvini defended his actions, adamant that other European Union nations must accept migrants who are trying to reach Europe and brought to Italian shores by rescue ships, and not leave Italy to manage on its own.