The Lower House on Wednesday rejected
a no confidence motion filed against Justice Minister Carlo
Nordio over his handling of the arrest, release and return to
Libya of an alleged war criminal wanted by the International
Criminal Court (ICC), Libyan judicial police chief General Osama
Almasri.
The motion was defeated by 215 votes to 119 with the centrist
opposition party Azione choosing to not follow the rest of the
centre-left by not taking part in the vote.
Nordio earlier told the House that he was being attacked to
avoid a reform of the judiciary aimed at separating the career
paths of judges and prosecutors and at changing the way members
of the judiciary's self-governing body are elected.
He also accused opposition members of reminding him of the
"inquisition" and denied delaying his response to Rome's
appeals court, which allowed Almasri to be released from
detention two days after his January 19 arrest on an ICC warrant
in Turin and return to Libya on a State flight.
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