Gregoretti ship, Salvini's defensive memo filed in Catania: "Two smugglers on board"

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24 September 2020 More than 50 pages to dismantle the accusation of "

" that could cost him up to

, in addition to some attachments including the very dense correspondence (starting from 26 July) between the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the European Commission and various EU countries for relocation, demonstrating that the agreement was essential to allow disembarkation.

In view of the hearing on Saturday 3 October in Catania, the former minister of the interior, Matteo Salvini, filed the

for the judge of the preliminary hearing.

Salvini meticulously reconstructs the so-called "Gregoretti case", highlighting "some unpublished details, such as the presence on board of two smugglers, stopped after landing".

Not only that: Salvini reiterates "that the more than

remained on board the ship, without dangers and with maximum assistance, only the time necessary to agree on their transfer with other European countries. All in full involvement of the Italian government. the decisive role of the Ministry of Transport in assigning the Pos (safe landing place) should be noted ".

Salvini's crime allegedly occurred from 27 to 31 July 2019. On 26 July, the Gregoretti ship "had

on board

, the result of two different rescue operations carried out by the Italian authorities in Maltese waters at the request of Valletta which - under pressure for other similar operations - it would not have been able to guarantee timely interventions. In one operation in particular, the Italian authorities had arranged for the immediate ground transportation of six people in critical condition before the arrival of Gregoretti.

Among the 135 people in aboard the ship, the doctors did not identify "

" excluding the need for a medical evacuation ".

The Pos "was indicated at 18.10 on 27 July 2019 by the general command of the port authorities: it was the port of Augusta, a NATO military dock which by conformation cancels the effects of the wave motion and ensures total safety. In the meantime it had already landed in also land a pregnant woman with her family (husband and two minor children), while Gregoretti was in Italian waters ".

Since the night of July 28 "the ship remains moored (with assistance and constant flow of food and medicines), and the next day the minors disembark as requested also by the Public Prosecutor's Office at the Catania Juvenile Court. there are episodes of intolerance, and indeed

are guaranteed

with kitchens in excellent sanitary conditions ".

On July 31 "an immigrant with suspected tuberculosis is disembarked and a few hours later (3.48 pm) the authorization for the disembarkation of the 115 people still on board is communicated, an operation concluded at 4.53 pm. The wait was necessary to agree on the

in other European countries, with the full involvement of the Italian government ".

Salvini cites "for their clarity" the statements of the Prime Minister,

, who on 28 December 2019, on the occasion of the press conference at the end of the year, said: "As regards relocations, we always have at the level of the Presidency, also with the help of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, we worked to relocate and then allow the disembarkation ".

These are principles on reception and relocation outlined by the conclusions of the European Council of 28 June 2018.

Not surprisingly, on the evening of 26 July 2019,

- Permanent Representative of Italy to the European Union - informed some representatives of the Presidency of the Council and of the ministries involved about the ongoing contacts for the redistribution of migrants, notifying them of the generic availability offered by Germany, France, Ireland and Luxembourg, as well as of the possible positive outcome of the contacts with Finland, Portugal, Slovenia, Lithuania and others, at the same time warning them that it was necessary to take into account "the delay in replies due to the summer weekend".

The same mechanism was also applied in various subsequent episodes, when Salvini was no longer at the Viminale.

Emblematic is the case of the "

"

ship

, which remained at sea from 18 October to 29 October 2019 before the granting of a landing port in Italy, waiting for Paris, Berlin and Rome to find a solution.

Salvini strongly rejects the possibility of kidnapping also because "no illegal deprivation of personal freedom has occurred, pending the organization of their transfer to their final destination".

But it is on the security front that the then Minister reveals new, revealing the news "anomalous discovery of a device that gave the impression that on board were

".

The reference is to a GPS, "hidden in a backpack, probably used for orientation purposes at sea".

To the judge for the preliminary investigations, Salvini also reminds "Luca Palamara's wiretapping with another magistrate like Paolo Auriemma. The former toga member of the CSM says, referring to the former Minister of the Interior," now we must attack him ".

Salvini closes the 50 pages thus: "I conclude by recalling the words with which I assumed the position of Minister of the Interior: I swore to be faithful to the Republic, to loyally observe the Constitution and the laws and to exercise my functions in exclusive interest of the Nation. It is in this spirit that I have always acted as Minister of the Interior, respecting my duties and the will of

".