President Sergio Mattarella on Wednesday received Italian marine Salvatore Girone and his wife and children at the Quirinal palace in Rome, the head of State's office said. Girone is accused with fellow marine Massimilano Latorre of killing two Indian fishermen during an anti-piracy mission in 2012. He returned to Italy from India last month after a UN tribunal in the Hague ruled he should be allowed to return home for the duration of an international arbitration procedure into the case. New Delhi allowed Latorre to return to Italy after he had a stroke in 2014. "I've always felt Italy near to me," Girone said after Wednesday's meeting. Italy argues the marines should have immunity as they were servicemen working on a mission and that India does not have jurisdiction as the incident took place outside its territorial waters.
Italy took the case to international tribunal after repeated delays in the handling of the case in India.
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