Illegal Party Funding Schemes Linked to Russia (critical) Salvini’s party, the League, was investigated regarding alleged illegal funding schemes tied to Kremlin-linked entities. In February 2019, an investigation revealed a 3 million euro scheme disguised as a diesel sale from Russian state-owned oil company Rosneft. In July 2019, recordings exposed Salvini's public relations officer, Gianluca Savoini, meeting with Russian agents in Moscow to discuss providing the Lega with $65 million of illegal funding from the Russian state. Italian authorities are currently investigating these matters, and the League has an official cooperation deal with Russia's governing party United Russia.. Court Order to Repay €49 Million in Illegally Acquired Funds (critical) In August 2019, Italy's highest court sentenced Salvini's party (the League/Lega Nord) to pay back 49 million euros ($54.83 million) of illegally acquired taxpayer funding to the Italian state. This relates to prior convictions of party figures (Bossi and Belsito) for fraud, leading to the seizure of the League's bank accounts.. Criminal Kidnapping Trials Regarding Migrant Detention (high) Salvini faced multiple high-profile criminal trials for 'kidnapping' related to his actions as Interior Minister (2018–2019) for blocking migrant rescue ships from docking. 1. **Gregoretti Case (2019):** Accused of kidnapping migrants by forbidding the coastguard ship from docking. The case was dismissed in May 2021. 2. **Open Arms Case (2019):** Accused of illegally detaining 100 migrants aboard the NGO rescue ship *Open Arms*. Prosecutors requested a six-year prison sentence in September 2024. However, Salvini was acquitted of all charges on December 20, 2024. Despite the acquittals, the fact that he was subjected to two separate criminal prosecutions for actions taken while in office represents a significant legal and reputational risk profile.. Extreme and Controversial Political Views/Ties (high) Salvini is widely described as a hardline Eurosceptic, populist, and part of the far-right/neo-nationalist movement. Specific controversial actions include: proposing a census of Romani people in Italy for the purpose of deporting those who were not in the country legally (a measure criticized as unconstitutional and later dropped); praising Vladimir Putin in 2019 as 'the best politician and statesman in the world'; and associating with publishers linked to neofascism. Salvini published his book with Altaforte-Verlag, whose chief is reportedly close to the neofascist CasaPound and openly admires Benito Mussolini.