ROME: Italy´s Giorgia Meloni insisted on Thursday that a probe looking into her role in the release of a Libyan war crime suspect was politically motivated, fuelling a furious debate.

The far-right prime minister this week announced that she and two senior ministers were under investigation over the release of Osama Almasri Najim, the head of Libya´s judicial police who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC).

She appeared to be referring to a notification she received of a complaint passed by a Rome prosecutor to a special court that considers cases against ministers.