Italian border control advocate Salvini's Friday court verdict to test balance between illegal immigrant rights and security

Matteo Salvini, Italy's deputy prime minister, faces a possible six-year prison term if a court finds him guilty on Friday of "kidnapping" a boat full of illegal immigrants who were held offshore Italy for almost three weeks in 2019.

Salvini was interior minister at the time and has always denied the charges, arguing that he was defending national interests by trying to prevent a Spanish activist ship from bringing 147 illegal immigrants to Italy.

Prosecutors in Sicily say he is guilty of illegally detaining the migrants and of dereliction of duty for closing the ports to them. Salvini, the head of the conservative League party, portrays himself as a victim of judicial persecution.

"I am confident because I want to believe that Italy is a normal country, and in a normal country, those who defend the borders are not condemned. Otherwise, it would be ... a cause of celebration for human traffickers and the enemies of Italy," he told Il Giornale newspaper on Tuesday.

Legal analysts say the verdict could mark a shift in the balance between illegal immigrant rights and border security, which will likely have an impact on government policymaking.

"A conviction would be a point in favour of those who say that rights must be prioritised and they must not retreat in the face of border protection," said Ennio Codini, a legislation expert at Ismu Foundation, a pro-migration think-tank.

If he is convicted, Salvini will have a right to two appeals before a final ruling that could bar him from holding office. He has already said he will not stand down if found guilty on Friday and has the support of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

The appeals process could take years.

Restrictive policies

Since taking office in 2023, Meloni has made it increasingly difficult for illegal migrant rescue boats to operate in the Mediterranean, but is locked in battle with the courts over the legality of a plan to process asylum requests in Albania rather than Italy.

Salvini has received solidarity from anti-illegal-immigrant parties across Europe and an eventual conviction could give him a political boost.

If he is acquitted, the government may be tempted to further tighten its stance against illegal migrant arrivals and once again shut its ports to the few activist ships that still assist illegal immigrants trying to cross the Mediterranean.

Well over one million illegal migrants have reached Italy by boat over the past 12 years. Their arrival has boosted support for conservative parties that have put the fight against mass migration from Africa and the Middle East at the top of the political agenda.

(Reporting by Angelo Amante; Editing by Crispian Balmer and Ros Russell)