The crime classification concerns embezzlement and aiding and abetting, according to several Italian media outlets.
I am not blackmailable, I am not afraid, says Meloni, who leads the far-right party Brothers of Italy, in her statement.
The suspicions relate to the case of a militant leader, Osama Najim (also known as Almasri), in Libya, who was arrested in Turin after the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him.
Najim is believed to have been responsible for, among other things, the Mitiga prison outside the capital Tripoli since 2015. Detainees were subjected to torture, rape, and sexual abuse or killed, according to the ICC. He was arrested after attending a football match in the northern Italian city on Sunday, January 19, but was released and sent back to Libya a few days later, according to Italy, due to a technicality. The ICC has since demanded an explanation.
Even Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi, and Secretary of State Alfredo Mantovano are being investigated by the prosecutor's office in Rome, according to Meloni's statement.
The Prime Minister accuses a lawyer who was previously a left-wing politician of being behind the suspicions directed against her.
