‘No one is above the law’: Italy’s president appears to take aim at Salvini

Italian President Sergio Mattarella appeared to offer a warning to Interior Minister Matteo Salvini on Wednesday, as he cautioned that Italy's justice system wouldn't make exceptions for politicians.

Published: 12 September 2018 15:54 CEST

'No one is above the law': Italy's president appears to take aim at Salvini

President Sergio Mattarella's role is to uphold the Italian constitution. Photo: Vincenzo Pinto/AFP

“No citizen is above the law,” Mattarella told lawmakers and dignitaries at the lower house of parliament, stressing that there was no special privilege for anyone – “neither those in public office, nor politicians”.

While he didn't mention Salvini by name, many people took his comments to be a jab at the interior minister, who is facing charges of illegal confinement after he refused to allow more than 100 people rescued at sea to get off an Italian coastguard ship, the Diciotti, that arrived in Sicily last month. After several days in port the vessel was eventually allowed to disembark when the Catholic Church brokered a three-way deal with Ireland and Albania to take the migrants in.

Public prosecutors in Sicily are currently investigating whether there is enough evidence to pursue the case.

Salvini, who has dismissed the accusations against him, showed himself defiant once again after the president's remarks.

“President Mattarella pointed out today that 'no one is above the law'. He's right,” the interior minister and deputy prime minister wrote on Facebook. “That's why I, respecting the law, the constitution and my commitment to the Italian people, have closed and will close the ports to human traffickers.

“Investigate me and put me on trial, I'll keep going.”

President Sergio Mattarella (centre) swears in Interior Minister Matteo Salvini (left). Photo: Francesco Ammendola/Italian Presidency/AFP

Mattarella was speaking at a memorial for former president Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, who headed the Italian state throughout the far-reaching political corruption scandals of the 1990s that saw scores of lawmakers disgraced and several parties disbanded.

Quoting his predecessor, Mattarella said that “justice can never be right-wing, centre or left-wing… The Italian Republic and its democracy are governed by rules. Respecting them is indispensable: always, no matter the intention of those who propose breaking them.”

The president has clashed with Salvini before, in the heat of post-election negotiations when he vetoed the anti-euro finance minister nominated by a coalition of Salvini's League and Italy's largest party, the Five Star Movement, and moved to appoint a cabinet of technocrats instead.

After several days of uncertainty and amid threats to start impeachment proceedings, the coalition eventually agreed to appoint a different finance minister and switch their nominee to a less sensitive portfolio.

Since the coalition government took office in June, Mattarella has also criticized Salvini's hardline policies on migration, saying that talk of closing borders was a knee-jerk response and calling for a more rational solution.

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The strike comes after Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama — who is close to Meloni — called a top RAI editor to complain about a television report into Italy’s controversial migration deal with his country.

The Usigrai trade union called the strike from May 6 to May 7 saying talks with management had failed to address their concerns.

It cited numerous issues, including staff shortages and contract issues, but in first place was “the suffocating control over journalistic work, with the attempt to reduce RAI to a megaphone for the government”.

It had already used that phrase to object to what critics say is the increasing influence over RAI by figures close to Prime Minister Meloni, who leads Italy’s most right-wing government since World War II.

However, another union of RAI journalists, Unirai, said they would not join what they called a “political” strike, defending the return to “pluralism” at the broadcaster.

Funded in part by a licence fee and with top managers long chosen by politicians, RAI’s independence has always been an issue of debate.

But the arrival in power of Meloni — leader of the far-right Brothers of Italy party, who formed a coalition with Matteo Salvini’s far-right League party and the late Silvio Berlusconi’s right-wing Forza Italia — redoubled concerns.

Tensions erupted at the weekend amid accusations RAI censored a speech by a leading writer criticising Meloni ahead of Liberation Day on April 25, when Italians mark the defeat of Fascism and the Nazis at the end of World War II.

Both RAI’s management and Meloni have denied censorship, and the premier posted the text of the monologue on her social media.

In another twist, Albania’s premier confirmed Thursday he called senior RAI editor Paolo Corsini about an TV report on Sunday into Italy’s plans to build two migration processing centres on Albanian territory.

Rama told La Stampa newspaper the report was “biased” and contained “lies” – adding that he had not raised the issue with Meloni.

The Report programme claimed the costs of migrant centres, which are under construction, were already “out of control” and raised questions about criminals benefiting from the project.