Osama Najim, also known as Almasri, was released and flown to Libya on an Italian air force plane last week after he was arrested in Turin on an international arrest warrant related to charges including murder, rape and torture.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) said it had not been consulted over the decision.
Meloni said in a message posted on social media that she and three members of her government – Justice Minister Carlo Nordio, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi and the undersecretary for intelligence matters, Alfredo Mantovano – were under investigation for allegedly aiding and abetting a crime and embezzlement.
Meloni said that Italy had released Najim because the relevant ICC warrant had not been filed with the Italian justice ministry, making the arrest invalid.
"At that point, so as not to let him go free on Italian territory, we decided to expel him and repatriate him immediately," Meloni said.
Meloni’s words came after the Italian interior ministry said last week that Najim’s arrest was “irregular” and he had been “repatriated to Tripoli for urgent security reasons", citing "the dangerousness of the subject".
Italy’s decision to free Najim sparked outrage among opposition forces and NGOs such as Amnesty International, which said the man was guilty of "horrific violations committed with total impunity".
International human rights groups have long condemned abuses in Libyan detention centres, including the infamous Mitiga centre, which Najim is the head of.
Opposition leaders have accused Meloni’s government of releasing Najim to protect contested agreements with Libya to stem the departure of migrants from the African country’s coast.
Since coming into power, Meloni’s government has worked closely with Libyan coast guard authorities, providing them with financial and technical aid in exchange for greater cooperation in efforts to block migrant departures.
Meloni responded to the accusations in her social media video on Tuesday.
"I will not be blackmailed, I will not allow myself to be intimidated, which may be why I am [...] disliked by those who do not want Italy to change and become better," she said.
The Italian premier also said that the case was being led by Francesco Lo Voi – the same prosecutor who investigated Deputy PM Matteo Salvini in connection with kidnapping charges after he kept 100 migrants from disembarking from an NGO boat in 2019.
Salvini was acquitted of all charges last month.
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