Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
| Photo Credit: AFP

A file image of Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni
| Photo Credit: Reuters

Rome:

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has been placed under investigation over a government decision to release a Libyan police officer wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

Here is the background to the case and a look at what might happen next.

Who is the Libyan at the center of the scandal?

Osama Elmasry Njeem is a brigadier general in Libya’s Judicial Police. The ICC says he was also in charge of Tripoli prisons. In a Jan. 22 statement, the ICC said Njeem was suspected of “crimes against humanity and war crimes, including murder, torture, rape and sexual violence, allegedly committed in Libya from February 2015 onwards”. A number of his alleged victims are believed to have been migrants.

The ICC said he was assisted by the Special Deterrence Force, one of Tripoli’s main armed factions.

Njeem has not publicly commented on the allegations made against him.

Why did Italy arrest him?

ICC documents show that its prosecutors sought an arrest warrant under seal on Oct. 2, 2024. It was only granted by judges on Jan. 18. At that point, the court knew Njeem was in Italy to watch a soccer match between Juventus and AC Milan, having spent almost two weeks prior in Germany, France and Belgium. The court informed Italian authorities and Njeem was arrested at his Turin hotel early on Jan. 19.

Why did Italy let him go?

The government abruptly freed him on January 21 on procedural grounds because the police who arrested him had failed to inform the justice ministry, officials have said. However, a legal source told Reuters this was a mere technicality and could easily have been overcome. Njeem was immediately put on a government jet and flown to Tripoli. Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi has said this was done because of his “social dangerousness”. Critics have suggested the government freed him because it relies on Libyan security forces to slow the flow of boat migrants and did not want to antagonise them by arresting such a high profile figure. The government has denied this.

Who made the decision to free him?

Interior Minister Piantedosi said last week Rome’s appeals court ordered Njeem’s release because they considered his arrest non-compliant with procedures. However, it is inconceivable such a move would have been taken without government guidance. That said, there is nothing to indicate Meloni herself was involved in the decision — she was in Washington for U.S. President Donald Trump’s Jan. 20 inauguration when the case was under review.

Why did Rome prosecutors get involved?

A Rome lawyer, Luigi Li Gotti, last week lodged a short complaint with local prosecutors asking for an investigation into alleged favouritism towards Njeem and alleged misuse of public funds to fly him to Libya on a state plane. He singled out Meloni, Piantedosi, Justice Minister Carlo Nordio and the cabinet undersecretary for intelligence matters, Alfredo Mantovano. Li Gotti provided no evidence of wrongdoing but attached press clippings about the case. Under Italian law, it is standard for prosecutors to open an investigation following such a request, unless they regard it as manifestly unfounded. 

Why is the government so cross?

Ministers believe there was no reason to open an investigation. Meloni supporters accused Rome’s chief prosecutor of politicising the case and say it is part of a broader battle pitting magistrates against the government over planned judicial reform that will shake up Italy’s creaking legal system.

What happens next?

Rome prosecutors have sent the investigation documents to the Court of Ministers, which has judges who are drawn by lot. They have the power to investigate ministers, question them and seek state documents. The court has 90 days to make its findings. At that point it can decide whether to dismiss proceedings or send the documents back to the prosecutor’s office recommending that the case proceeds. If, ultimately, the prosecution seeks a trial, parliament would vote on whether or not to allow it. Meloni has a strong majority in both chambers.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama made a thoughtful gesture to Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on her 48th birthday, presenting her with a beautiful scarf, while going down on one knee and serenading her with a happy birthday song, “tanti auguri,” as they attended the World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday.

What made the gift even more special was that the lightweight scarf was designed by an Italian designer who had relocated to Albania, showcasing the strong cultural ties between the two nations.

Albanian PM Edi Rama knelt before Italian PM Giorgia Meloni during their visit to Abu Dhabi, presenting her with a scarf as a birthday gift and referring to her as “Your Majesty”.

He also tried to place the scarf over her head like a hijab. pic.twitter.com/QSqEuuBexM

— kos_data (@kos_data) January 15, 2025

Despite their differing political beliefs, with Meloni leading the right-wing Brothers of Italy and Rama heading Albania’s Socialist Party, the two leaders have maintained a good working relationship. This was evident when Meloni struck a deal with Rama last year to divert some of the migrants Italy picks up at sea to detention centers in Albania. Although the centers are currently dormant due to legal challenges, the agreement demonstrates the willingness of both leaders to collaborate on key issues.

The World Future Energy Summit in Abu Dhabi served as a significant backdrop for the meeting between Rama and Meloni, as it highlighted the growing importance of renewable energy in the region. In a major breakthrough, Italy, Albania, and the United Arab Emirates signed a landmark deal worth at least 1 billion euros ($1 billion) to build a subsea interconnection for renewable energy across the Adriatic. This ambitious project is expected to play a crucial role in promoting sustainable energy solutions and reducing carbon emissions in the region.

As the two leaders continue to work together on key issues, their collaboration is likely to have a positive impact on the region, promoting greater cooperation and understanding between nations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, making his podcast debut on Zerodha co-founder Nikhil Kamath’s People by WTF series, said that he is aware of the memes that have been viral on social media for the last 1-2 years related to him and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. In this light-hearted conversation, Mr. Kamath asked the question about the viral “Melodi Memes” featuring him and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Also Read | “I’m Only Human, Not God”: PM Modi In Podcast Debut With Zerodha Chief Nikhil Kamath

“PM Sir, as we are talking about other countries, if I may digress a little, I must say my favourite food is pizza, which originates from Italy. People often say that you know a lot about Italy. Would you like to share something about it? Haven’t you seen those memes?” he asked again.

Watch the video here: 

To this, the Prime Minister responded, “Wo toh chalta rehta hai” (that’s an ongoing thing). “I don’t waste my time on that,” he added.

The two-hour podcast saw the Prime Minister sharing several anecdotes, including aspects of his childhood, education, entering politics, setbacks, handling stress, and policy management, among others.

The podcast trailer was shared by PM Modi himself on X, formerly Twitter. “I hope you all enjoy this as much as we enjoyed creating it for you!” PM Modi wrote.

Rome, Italy:

Italy’s far-right prime minister, Giorgia Meloni, said on Thursday Elon Musk’s political interventions only caused outrage because he wasn’t left-wing — and that foreigners had been interfering in Italian politics for years.

Meloni, head of the post-Fascist Brothers of Italy party, said Musk was exercising his right to free speech. Instead, she accused powerful people on the left of political interference, including billionaire financier and philanthropist George Soros.

Musk — a billionaire ally of US President-elect Donald Trump who is set for a role in the incoming administration — has provoked fury across Europe with a string of attacks on the continent’s leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

Meloni rejected a suggestion that Musk’s comments on his X social network constituted “dangerous interference”.

“The problem is when wealthy people use their resources to finance parties, associations and political exponents all over the world to influence the political choices of nation states”, Meloni told reporters at a yearly press conference.

“That’s not what Musk is doing,” she insisted.

“Elon Musk financed an election campaign in his country, by his candidate, in a system in which, by the way, I would point out that this is quite common,” she said.

“But I am not aware of Elon Musk financing parties, associations or political exponents around the world.

“This, for example, is what George Soros does,” Meloni alleged.

“And yes, I consider that to be dangerous interference in the affairs of nation states and in their sovereignty,” she said.

Reviled by conservatives, and often the target of anti-Semitic conspiracies, Soros used wealth amassed as a financier in the 1970s and 80s to create the Open Society Foundations (OSF), which support a broad arrange of causes and NGOs worldwide, ranging from good-governance and democracy-building programmes to liberal public policy initiatives.

He has been a major donor during US elections but does not own a social media network or hold a position in government.

‘Not left-wing’

“Is the problem that Elon Musk is influential and rich or that he is not left-wing?” queried Meloni, who has described Musk as a “genius”.

She slammed “those who until yesterday described exponents of big finance — who often bet against nation states, who finance exponents of political associations — as fine, as philanthropy”.

Meloni said she had not taken any money from Musk, “unlike those who have taken it from Soros”.

She has denied media reports that her government is on the cusp of signing a giant, and controversial, cybersecurity deal with Musk’s company SpaceX.

Meloni said she refrained from commenting on other countries’ domestic politics herself but had herself repeatedly been the victim of attacks.

She compared “left-wing” outrage over Musk’s vocal support for the extreme-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) ahead of elections there, with “left-wing” silence over what she said was “interference” by top German politicians in Italy’s 2022 general election.

Twice during the press conference Meloni referred to Musk as Donald Trump by mistake.

Musk’s political initiatives are intimately linked to his economic interests, experts suggest.

He is an enthusiastic supporter of Meloni — Italy’s most right-wing leader since 1945.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Rome:

G7 ministers meeting in Italy next week will discuss the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said Friday, saying the issue required further analysis.

Israel and its allies denounced the ICC’s decision on Thursday to issue an arrest warrant for the Israeli premier, even as Turkey — and rights groups — welcomed the move.

Meloni’s hard-right coalition government appeared divided.

Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said Thursday that Italy would have to arrest Israel’s premier if he visited, only for Meloni’s deputy prime minister, Matteo Salvini, to say Netanyahu would be welcome in Italy.

“In the coming days I will delve deeper into the reasons that led to the ICC’s decision. Reasons that should always be objective and not political in nature,” Meloni said in a statement.

She said the issue would be put on the agenda of a meeting of Group of Seven foreign ministers in Fiuggi, near Rome, on Monday and Tuesday.

The ICC also issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu’s former defence minister and for Hamas’s military chief Mohammed Deif.

“One point remains clear from this government — there cannot be an equivalence between the responsibility of the state of Israel and the terrorist organisation Hamas,” Meloni said.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Rio de Janeiro:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday (local time) held a bilateral meeting with his Italian counterpart, Giorgia Meloni, on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Brazil.

PM Modi stated that their discussions focused on strengthening ties in defence, security, trade, and technology. He remarked, “India-Italy friendship can greatly contribute to a better planet.”

“Glad to have met Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the sidelines of the Rio de Janeiro G20 Summit. Our talks centred around deepening ties in defence, security, trade, and technology. We also discussed ways to boost cooperation in culture, education, and other such areas. India-Italy friendship can greatly contribute to a better planet,” PM Modi shared on social media platform X.

Glad to have met Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on the sidelines of the Rio de Janeiro G20 Summit. Our talks centred around deepening ties in defence, security, trade and technology. We also talked about how to boost cooperation in culture, education and other such areas.… pic.twitter.com/BOUbBMeEov

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) November 18, 2024

PM Modi also held a bilateral meeting with Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store during the 19th G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro.

Earlier, PM Modi met with leaders from Indonesia and Portugal on the sidelines of the G20 Leaders’ Summit in Brazil.

In his discussions, PM Modi emphasised strengthening ties with both nations in areas such as commerce and defence.

The Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson, Randhir Jaiswal, shared on X that PM Modi assured Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto of expanding the India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership.

“India-Indonesia: Commemorating 75 years of warm and friendly ties! PM Narendra Modi met President Prabowo Subianto of Indonesia on the sidelines of the G20 Brazil Summit. PM congratulated President Prabowo and assured him of expanding the India-Indonesia Comprehensive Strategic Partnership, both in existing domains and by exploring newer areas,” Jaiswal wrote on X.

????????-????????| Commemorating 75 years of warm and friendly ties!

PM @narendramodi met President Prabowo Subianto @prabowo of Indonesia on the sidelines of the #G20Brazil Summit.

PM congratulated President Prabowo and assured him of ????????’s full support.

Both leaders discussed ways to… pic.twitter.com/9aijc3Wa9P

— Randhir Jaiswal (@MEAIndia) November 18, 2024

Additionally, PM Modi met with Spanish President Pedro Sanchez on the sidelines of the G20 Summit.

(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

A picture of billionaire Elon Musk with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at a recent event has gone viral, triggering social media reactions that the two were “dating”.

At an award ceremony in New York on Tuesday, Musk also praised Meloni, calling her “authentic, honest and truthful”.

Musk, while bestowing the Atlantic Council Global Citizen Award on Meloni, said it was an honour to present the accolade to “someone who is even more beautiful on the inside than she was on the outside.”

“Giorgia Meloni is someone I admire, who has done an incredible job as the Prime Minister of Italy,” he said.

“She’s also someone who is authentic, honest, truthful – and that can’t always be said about politicians,” Musk added.

She also took to her official X account and thanked Musk for his remarks.

Grazie Elon pic.twitter.com/NgHchWLUtB

— Giorgia Meloni (@GiorgiaMeloni) September 24, 2024

A Tesla fan club then posted a picture of Musk and Meloni and wrote, “Do you think they’ll date?.” The 53-year-old billionaire responded saying that they are “not dating”.

We are not dating

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 24, 2024

Meloni received the award “for her strong support of the EU and becoming the first female prime minister of Italy,” according to a media package distributed by the Atlantic Council.

She was in New York with leaders from more than 190 other nations for the annual high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly.

Elon Musk offered effusive praise for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni in brief remarks at an awards ceremony in New York, the latest sign of cosiness between a billionaire who’s trying to get Donald Trump elected and a European leader at odds with her Group of Seven allies.

Musk, bestowing an Atlantic Council Global Citizen Award on Meloni, said it was an honour to present the accolade to “someone who is even more beautiful on the inside than she was on the outside.”

“She’s also someone who is authentic, honest, truthful – and that can’t always be said about politicians,” Musk added.

The remarks were in keeping with the warm relationship between Musk and Meloni, whose political roots on the right align her with Trump, even as she’s backed the G-7’s support of Ukraine in its struggle against the Russian invasion.

At a festival organized by Meloni’s right-wing Brothers of Italy party in December, Musk exhorted the crowd to “make more Italians” and warned of unchecked migration while addressing Italy’s birth rate, which is the lowest in Europe.

Meloni has refrained from backing either Trump or his Democratic rival, Vice President Kamala Harris, saying she will work closely with whoever occupies the White House, given long-standing ties between the two countries. 

After Musk spoke, Meloni delivered an implicit rebuke to the left, lamenting the desire to “to violently erase the symbols of our civilizations in the US as in Europe.”

“I know that we should not be ashamed to use and defend words and concepts like nation and patriotism, words that mean more than a physical place,” Meloni said. “They mean a state of mind to which one belongs.”

Meloni is in New York with leaders from more than 190 other nations for the annual high-level meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. On Sunday, she met with Sundar Pichai and Sam Altman, the chief executives of Alphabet Inc. And OpenAI Inc.

The choice to give a Global Citizen Award to the prime minister, and have Musk present it, has angered some former and current Atlantic Council staff, Politico reported last week, given the dissonance between their views on Ukraine and immigration. 

Meloni received the award “for her strong support of the EU and becoming the first female prime minister of Italy,” according to a media package distributed by the Atlantic Council.

Musk has business interests in Italy. He and Meloni have scheduled a closed-door meeting later this month to discuss investment opportunities in Italy’s space and artificial intelligence sectors, according to people familiar with the matter.

Italy approved a new regulatory framework in June that grants foreign space companies permission to operate in the country, a move that it expects to generate investments of about €7.3 billion ($8.1 billion).

Italy is already serviced by Musk’s Starlink, which delivers broadband internet through a global network of more than 6,000 satellites operated by his Space Exploration Technologies Corp.

Meloni has also expressed interest in artificial intelligence, though she sounded a note of caution about the technology in a speech to the United Nations Summit of the Future earlier Monday. She called AI a “great multiplier” but warned it could widen global imbalances.

“Machines will not answer this question,” she said. “Politics must guarantee that artificial intelligence remains controlled by humans and keeps humans at the centre.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)