Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni says she has been placed under judicial investigation over Italy’s surprise release of a Libyan citizen who had been wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

In a video message shared on social media on Tuesday, Meloni said she was suspected by prosecutors of embezzlement and aiding and abetting a crime.

Osama Najim – also known as Almasri – is the head of Libya’s judicial police and the director of an infamous detention centre in Mitiga, near Tripoli.

Mr Najim was arrested in Italy on 21 January and unexpectedly freed days later “due to a legal technicality”, the interior ministry said.

The ICC, which said it had not been consulted, swiftly issued another arrest warrant for Mr Najim and demanded an explanation from the Italian authorities.

In the video, Meloni said the Rome appeals court released Mr Najim because the ICC warrant had not been sent to the Italian justice ministry.

“At that point, so as not to let him go free on Italian territory, we decided to expel him and repatriate him immediately, with a special flight,” Meloni said.

Last week, Justice Minister Carlo Nordio said that Mr Najim had been expelled because of the “danger” he posed – a comment which was derided by the opposition.

The decision to free Mr Najim was heavily criticised by the opposition and NGOs such as Amnesty International, which said Mr Najim was guilty of “horrific violations committed with total impunity”.

Videos that showed a jubilant crowd welcoming Mr Najim as he stepped off an Italian government plane in Tripoli caused particular uproar.

Meloni said that Nordio, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and the cabinet undersecretary for intelligence matters, Alfredo Mantovano, had also been placed under investigation. Being placed under investigation in Italy does not mean that formal charges will necessarily follow.

In a defiant tone, the Italian PM appeared to hint at political motives for the investigation.

She pointed out the lawyer who filed the complaint, Luigi Li Gotti, was a former left-wing politician, while the prosecutor leading the case, Francesco Lo Voi, recently investigated Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini on an unrelated matter.

Meloni ended the video saying that she could not be “blackmailed or intimidated”.

“This may be why I’m unpopular among those who don’t want Italy to change and improve,” she said. “But that’s precisely the reason I intend to continue on my way, protecting Italians, especially when the nation’s safety is at stake, head held high with no fear.”

Matteo Renzi of the opposition party Italy Alive (IV) – who was among the first to denounce Mr Najim’s release – said he felt Meloni was “exploiting” the investigation to “feed her usual victim complex”.

Giorgia Meloni, the leader of the far-right, anti-migrant Brothers of Italy party, has headed Italy’s ruling right-wing coalition since 2022.

She has repeatedly vowed to crack down on immigration and has pledged to stop boats heading to Italy from North Africa, vowing to put an end to illegal departures and human trafficking.

Meloni, like other leaders before her, has worked with Libyan authorities and militias, providing them with financial and technical support under controversial agreements to tackle illegal immigration, including training and funding for the Libyan coast guard which intercepts migrant boats.

(BBC)