Overview
- Libyan ex-footballer Alla F. Hamad Abdelkarim, convicted in 2017 to 30 years over a 2015 crossing where 49 people died, received a partial pardon that extinguishes part of his remaining term after more than a decade served and allows access to alternative regimes.
- The other beneficiaries are Franco Cioni, whose remaining prison term for killing his terminally ill wife was fully extinguished; Bardhyl Zeneli, whose entire sentence for an evasion count tied to an obligation of residence was pardoned; Alessandro Ciappei, who had a short residual fraud sentence cleared; and Gabriele Spezzuti, relieved of a remaining monetary penalty.
- The Quirinale said the decisions were taken under Article 87 after the required istruttoria, with Justice Minister Carlo Nordio issuing favorable opinions on the dossiers.
- Presidential notes highlight rehabilitation, young age at the time of the facts, health conditions, family forgiveness, the passage of time and even erroneous legal qualification in one case; appellate judges in Messina previously observed that only a pardon could narrow the gap between legal penalties and moral culpability in Abdelkarim’s case.
- Initial reactions included reported surprise and perplexity in Lega circles, and outlets cite differing counts of Mattarella’s second‑term pardons, with ANSA reporting 27 and Il Post reporting 36 across more than 1,500 cases reviewed.