Saturday 20 / April / 2024
India's Supreme Court on Tuesday dropped proceedings against two Italian marines who were accused of shooting and killing two Indian fishermen in 2012 after Italy paid 100 million rupees ($1.3 million/€1.1 million euros) in compensation.
In the ruling, the two-judge panel said Italy should resume its own proceedings against the two marines, Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre.
"The case with India is closed. A success of Italian diplomacy," European Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said on Twitter.
New Delhi: India's Supreme Court on Tuesday dropped proceedings against two Italian marines who were accused of shooting and killing two Indian fishermen in 2012 after Italy paid 100 million rupees ($1.3 million/€1.1 million euros) in compensation.
In the ruling, the two-judge panel said Italy should resume its own proceedings against the two marines, Salvatore Girone and Massimiliano Latorre.
"The case with India is closed. A success of Italian diplomacy," European Economy Commissioner Paolo Gentiloni said on Twitter.
Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio also hailed the settlement as a success.
The court ruled that 40 million rupees would be given to each of the victims' families, and the remaining 20 million would go to the owner of the boat the fishermen were using. The boat was destroyed in the incident."Thanks to those who worked with perseverance on the case, thanks to our tireless diplomatic corps, the final word has been said on this long affair," Di Maio said on Twitter.
Deaths off the Indian coast
Girone and Latorre were accused of shooting dead the unarmed fishermen off the coast of Kerala while protecting the Italian oil tanker Enrica Lexie. They were on an anti-piracy mission and believed the fishermen were pirates.
India called it a "double murder at sea" and arrested Girone and Latorre. They were both charged with homicide.
Italy had long believed that it should have jurisdiction in the case, as both Italian men were active duty personnel on an approved deployment. Latorre returned to Italy after suffering a stroke in 2014, and Girone came back to his home country in 2016.
Italy took the case to the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague, which ruled last year that India did not have jurisdiction in any potential case, but also that Italy should pay damages.
