The then Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, the government advisor and current Minister of the Interior Luciana Lamorgese and the then Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Luigi Di Maio were admitted as witnesses, the news agencies Ansa and Adnkronos reported on Saturday. In addition, the US actor Richard Gere is allowed to testify.
Salvini is accused of his actions as interior minister against the ship “Open Arms”, which at the time took in boat migrants in the Mediterranean and brought them to Italy. In August 2019, the “Open Arms” had to wait for days with up to 150 people on board in front of Lampedusa before it was finally allowed to moor there. Salvini are therefore accused of deprivation of liberty and abuse of office.
The lawyer for the Spanish aid organization Open Arms, which acts as a civil party in the trial, wanted to hear Gere as a witness, as the reports said. The now 72-year-old was temporarily on board the “Open Arms”. According to the reports, the public prosecutor’s office spoke out against it because Gere’s statements were not relevant to them.
Salvini was Interior Minister in the first cabinet of the Conte government from June 2018 to September 2019. The head of the right-wing Lega party took a tough line against boat migrants. If convicted for deprivation of liberty and abuse of office, he faces up to 15 years imprisonment. The next hearing is scheduled for December 17th, according to Open Arms.