Rome CNN —Italian Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini was found not guilty in a criminal kidnapping case dating back to August 2019, when he barred a migrant vessel from docking in the country, leaving it stranded offshore. The ruling judge said Friday that “the facts do not exist.”The case dates back to when Salvini was interior minister in 2019. At the time, Salvini cited national security concerns, amid government efforts to crack down on irregular immigration by sea into Italy. The case drew international attention after American actor Richard Gere, who was vacationing in Italy at the time, took food and water out to the stranded migrant vessel. Defending Italy’s borders was my duty, and I am proud of what I accomplished.

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Persons: Rome, Matteo Salvini, Salvini, Richard Gere, Gere, Giulia Bongiorno, Elon Musk, ” Salvini, ” Musk, Marzia Sabella, ”, “, Giorgia Meloni’s Organizations: Rome CNN, NGO, Salvini’s Lega, Albanian Centers, European Court of Justice Locations: Sicily, Italy, Salvini’s, Europe, Palermo, Albania