An Italian lawmaker has told Sky News that he has filed a criminal complaint following Donald Trump Junior’s alleged death of a protected species of duck while shooting in the Venice lagoon.
Andrea Zanoni of the Green Europe party claimed he had contacted the Carabinieri environmental crime section in Mestre.
He said that Mr Trump hunted and killed protected kinds of birds in Campagna Lupia, a town in the province of Venice, in December.
“The US president’s son killed a protected species in a protected natural area, and this is a serious criminal offence,” Mr. Zanoni explained.
“No one should be above the law.”
Mr Zanoni is now the President of the Veneto Region’s Justice Commission.
A video released online and cited by Italian media sites appears to show Donald Trump Jr. shooting at ducks inside a protected conservation area south of Venice, then addressing the camera and pointing to an orange-brown bird among at least six other dead waterfowl surrounding him.
The killed birds allegedly included a ruddy shelduck, which is protected under the EU Birds Directive and Italian wildlife protection laws.
Furthermore, it is believed that Mr Trump must live in an Italian province in order to obtain a hunting permission.
Veneto requires a separate hunting calendar for each species.
Mr Zanoni said he was “100% certain” that the Venice Public Prosecutor’s Office would shortly launch an investigation into the issue.
If such is the case, Donald Trump Jr. is expected to face both a prison sentence and a fine.
A source close to the probe told Sky News that they are “evaluating” possible crimes in response to Mr Zanoni’s accusation.
Gilberto Pichetto, the Environment Minister, stated that he was “waiting for a report”.
Sergio Costa, a former Italian environment minister, said he was “horrified” by the case.
“It’s as if Italy became Trump Junior’s backyard,” Mr Costa remarked.
“I’ll ask the government to report on this and I’m going to file a complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office,” he announced.
