French First Lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy has come under fire for allegedly intervening to prevent the extradition of a left-wing terrorist convicted of four murders from Brazil to Italy. Battisti has been convicted in his absence of four murders and sentenced to life but denies all the killings.
Bruni-Sarkozy was accused by an Italian victim support group of personally calling former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and asking him not to send Cesare Battisti back to his native country for being tried. Lula was told it would be a ‘personal favour’.
The alleged intervention was criticised by Italian politicians. Bruno Berardi, president of Domus Civitas, said on Italian TV that Bruni-Sarkozy had intervened in another extradition – that of Marina Petrella, from France to Italy three years ago. France had refused to extradite seriously ill Petrella on “humanitarian grounds”. Battisti has refugee status in Brazil. He is currently in prison although he may be freed shortly. Italy is trying to block his release and take the case to the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
