Leaked emails reveal that Italian leftists within the judiciary are trying to derail Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's immigration policy amid a standoff over the deportation of illegal immigrants to Albania.
On Sunday, the Rome-based newspaper Il tempo published Email from Supreme Court Deputy Prosecutor Marco Patarnero to members of the Democratic Magistrates, a left-wing faction within the National Association of Magistrates.
In a message to his fellow judges, Patarnello warned that Meloni's political power in Italy, including his decision to deport illegal immigrants from Albanian detention centers to Italy, should be challenged by the judiciary. did.
Prosecutors have argued that Meloni is a difficult opponent because, unlike his predecessors such as former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi, there is no criminal investigation against him, making it more difficult to apply pressure.
“Undoubtedly, never before has the attack on the judiciary been so powerful, and perhaps not even in Berlusconi's time. In any case, today, for many reasons, it is far more dangerous and insidious. First of all, Meloni has no judicial investigation against her, so she is not acting for personal gain, but for her political vision, and this makes her stronger. ”, the email said.
Mr. Patarnello said Meloni's government is more cohesive than ever before, and that “the political power it can express is huge, and it can really challenge the structure of the constitution by overturning important principles that we thought were intangible.” “We can ask the following questions.”
The Supreme Court's deputy prosecutor said judges should unite to strengthen their power base and confront the supposed imbalance of power, declaring: “This absolutely has to be corrected.”
The email is being taken by Meloni's allies as evidence that judicial activists are trying to use the legal system to thwart the will of Meloni's government and, by extension, voters.
Tommaso Foti, leader of the Meloni brothers in the Italian parliament; said The email “confirms the tendency for parts of the judiciary to infiltrate the political arena.”
Lucio Maran, the party's leader in the Senate, said Patarnello's email was a “disconcerting call to arms” and showed the magistrate was seeking a “political role” in Italy.
Meanwhile, Justice Minister Carlo Nordio called for an “immediate Ministry of Justice investigation into the conduct of Mr. Marco Paternello.”
Tensions between Rome's government and Italy's judiciary come as judges cited European Court of Justice rulings over the government's classification of countries such as Bangladesh and Egypt as “safe” for migrants to return. It arose in response to a decision being made. It was illegal, given that not all territories are guaranteed to be free from persecution, torture, or indiscriminate violence.
The ruling meant that 12 migrants who were sent to an Albanian detention center earlier this week will be returned to Italy. The ruling also calls into question strategies to deter illegal immigration and could create a constitutional crisis.
On Monday, Meloni gathered the cabinets and approve A decree law that listed the countries deemed “safe” for deportation by Rome. Meloni argues the measure should resolve legal hurdles. But it is unclear whether Italian judges, or potentially those at European level, will agree.
