CHAMBER OF DEPUTIES, XVII LEGISLATURE, 50th MEETING, 10 JULY 2013.

On 10 July 2013, the President of the Council of the Ministers, Mr Enrico Letta, reported before the Chamber of Deputies on recent developments concerning the trial taking place before Indian authorities against sergeant major Latorre and sergeant Girone, two Italian marines part of a Vessel Protection Detachment (VPD) on board of the Italian oil-tanker Enrica Lexie accused of murdering two Indian fishermen while carrying out anti-piracy activities. Mr Letta referred to the testimony given by Latorre and Girone to the Indian judicial authorities on that same date and stated:

Today, Latorre and Girone gave their testimony, whose details had been agreed by the Indian defense counsels, in coordination with our State attorneys. They restated that they were operating on board of the Enrica Lexie as agents of the state, in accordance with Italian law and applicable international customary and treaty law. During the trial we will reiterate, as a matter of principle, the claim and the willingness to exercise our jurisdiction over the case, as evidenced by the opening of two separate proceedings before the Italian criminal and military tribunals, and to invoke the marines’ immunity from jurisdiction as agents of the state in the exercise of their functions.

The Italian version of the statement can be found at: http://documenti.camera.it/leg17/resoconti/assemblea/html/sed0050/stenografico.pdf