Italy’s Supreme Court has upheld the acquittal of Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini in the high-profile migrant case, meaning no further appeals can be made. The announcement came on Wednesday, thus bringing an end to the legal process that has lasted several years.

Salvini, leader of the Lega party and currently Minister of Transport, was already acquitted last year by a court in Palermo, Sicily. At the time, prosecutors had sought a six-year prison sentence. The case concerned allegations of unlawful detention after Salvini, as interior minister in 2019, ordered that a ship with more than 100 migrants be kept at sea for nearly three weeks.

After the decision, Salvini wrote on X that ‘defending borders is not a crime.’ The statement was supported by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who wrote on Facebook that the ruling reaffirms the principle that a minister who protects the country’s borders is fulfilling their duty.

“Lacked realism”

The ship in question was operated by the Spanish activist organization Open Arms. Italian prosecutors argued that the decision to keep the migrants onboard constituted unlawful detention. Ultimately, the judiciary seized the ship and ordered the migrants to be brought ashore.

The organization’s founder, Oscar Camps, criticized the Supreme Court’s ruling and called it politically motivated. According to Italian media, he said that justice had not been served and that the ruling created impunity.

In an unusual move, prosecutors in Palermo chose this summer to go directly to the Supreme Court, bypassing the appellate court. They argued that Salvini’s actions were established and that the court should determine whether they could constitute a crime despite the acquittal.

Salvini’s lawyer, Giulia Bongiorno, welcomed the decision and said the court had clearly established that the prosecution’s appeal lacked realism and that Salvini’s actions were correct. According to her, the ruling confirms that the trial should never have begun.