Italy plans to seek 2 million euros from Egypt following Regeni kidnapping verdict

Rome court ruling and compensation demands

The Italian government confirmed on Wednesday that it intends to pursue compensation from Egypt following the conviction of three Egyptian security officers for the 2016 abduction of Italian student Giulio Regeni. The Corte d'Assise di Roma delivered the verdict on Monday, sentencing three intelligence agents to 10 years in prison each while acquitting a fourth defendant. Because the convicted men are state officials, the Italian executive plans to claim 2 million euros in damages from the government in Cairo once the legal documentation is completed. The court also ordered an immediate compensation payout of 150,000 euros directly to the Italian Presidency of the Council of Ministers.

Domestic dispute over enforcement

The court ruling prompted political disagreement in Italy concerning the diplomatic response toward Egyptian authorities. Speaking at an event marking 120 years of the CGIL trade union in Milan, Democratic Party secretary Elly Schlein urged Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni to take decisive action. Schlein argued that the provisional 150,000-euro compensation award is immediately enforceable under Italian law and criticized Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani for downplaying the decision. Tajani had stated that the ruling represented a first-instance verdict against three specific individuals rather than a conviction of the Egyptian state, citing the separation of powers.

Schlein contested that view, asserting that the defendants were active members of the Egyptian security apparatus.

We ask the government and Giorgia Meloni what they will do to enforce the sentence of an Italian judge on the Regeni case.

Procedural steps outlined by the executive

European Affairs Minister Tommaso Foti, a member of Meloni's Brothers of Italy party, responded to the opposition's demands during an appearance on the La7 television programme Tagada. Foti explained that the Italian legal system requires the formal filing of the judicial reasoning before the government can initiate enforcement procedures or demand reparations from foreign counterparts. He maintained that the state's decision to participate in the trial as a civil party was essential to establishing legal accountability and upholding the rule of law.

Foti reaffirmed that the administration is satisfied with the legal outcome and will proceed through established legal mechanisms.

Once the ruling on the Regeni case is formally filed, the State will seek compensation.

Diplomatic parallels and the Ustica inquiry

In defending the government's procedural strategy, Foti drew a comparison between the Regeni case and Paris's recent agreement to assist with the 1980 Ustica disaster. On Monday, the French government agreed to cooperate with Italian authorities on the Ustica air crash inquiry after 46 years. That incident resulted in 81 deaths and involved allegations that a French military fighter launched a missile intended for a Libyan jet carrying Muammar Gaddafi. Foti cited the French decision to demonstrate that complex international legal disputes require sustained judicial processes, contrasting Italy's formal participation as a civil party against Egypt's sustained refusal to collaborate with Italian prosecutors.