Italy marines return to face India charges
India has claimed a diplomatic victory after Italy overturned its earlier refusal to return two marines charged with the murder of two fishermen they mistook for pirates off the country’s Malabar coast last year.
Italian marines Salvatore Girone, left, and Massimiliano Latorre, arriving at the office of Kochi's Police Commissioner, in Kochi, India Photo: AP
By By Dean Nelson in New Delhi
11:01AM GMT 22 Mar 2013
The two marines, Massimilano Latorre and Salvatore Girone, have been bailed to the Italian embassy in New Delhi since the incident in February last year, but successfully applied to the India’s Supreme Court to be allowed to return briefly to Italy to vote in the country’s general election and to see their families over Easter.
Rome provoked a serious diplomatic row however earlier this month when it announced they would not return after all and that the incident dod not fall under Indian jurisdiction because it took place in international waters.
The announcement provoked uproar in India where the prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh warned Rome there would be “consequences” for its actions and political leaders called for Italy’s ambassador to New Delhi, Daniele Mancini to be charged with contempt of court.
Mr Mancini had made promised the Supreme Court the two marines would return if the court agreed to let them return to Italy for four weeks and his guarantee persuaded the court to allow the men to leave.
Following Rome’s announcement the Supreme Court ordered Mr Mancini not to leave the country before he appeared before it to explain his country’s decision, and earlier this week told him it could no longer trust him.
Italy denounced its ruling as a breach of his diplomatic immunity and its complaint was supported by the European Union.
The row emerged amid deteriorating relations between the two countries over allegations that one of Italy’s largest companies, Finmeccanica, had bribed relatives of India’s Air Chief to win a lucrative contract to supply British-made Agusta Westland VIP helicopters.
Italy and India have long enjoyed good relations which have been warmed by the rise of Sonia Gandhi, the late Rajiv Gandhi’s Italian widow, to become the most influential figure on Indian politics. She too, however, had voiced anger over Italy’s decision.
As the dispute escalated, Italy eventually blinked and its diplomats opened new negotiations seeking a promise that the two men would not face the death penalty if found guilty.
India’s foreign minister Salman Khurshid today told India’s Lok Sabha parliament he was happy to give that assurance to pave the way for their return.
"We were informed through a diplomatic approach that the Government of Italy would be willing to send the two marines back to India as per its commitment. It sought from India clarifications regarding the conditions applicable to the marines on their return and the provisions regarding the death penalty that could be applicable in this case which was an Italian concern. Notwithstanding the pending proceedings, the Government has informed the Italian Government that the two marines will not be liable for arrest if they return within the time frame laid down by the Supreme Court of India, and shall once again be bound by the conditions contained in the order passed by the Court on 18th January 2013; and that, according to well settled Indian jurisprudence, this case would not fall in the category of matters which attract the death penalty, that is to say the rarest of rare cases. Therefore, there need not be any apprehension in this regard,” he said.
The men are due to arrive in New Delhi later today. India’s prime minister Dr Manmohan Singh said he was “very happy.”
