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Genoa bridge verdict
An Italian court on Thursday sentenced former Autostrade per l’Italia chief Giovanni Castellucci to 12 years in prison over the 2018 collapse of the Morandi road bridge in Genoa, which killed 43 people when it fell apart on August 14, 2018.
“A court has sentenced the former CEO of Italy’s main highway operator to 12 years in prison over the collapse of the Morandi road bridge in the port city of Genoa”
Judges delivered their verdict in Genoa in the first trial over the disaster, with 32 people convicted and sentences ranging from one year and 11 months to 12 years.
The collapse involved a 50-metre section of the bridge falling away during a summer storm, sending vehicles plunging onto warehouses and a riverbed beneath the flyover.
Prosecutor Walter Cotugno dubbed the bridge “a ticking time bomb” at the verdict, while the defence argued the disaster was caused by a hidden construction defect, namely corrosion of its cables, not a lack of maintenance.
Victims, lawyers, officials
In the crowded courtroom, relatives of the victims packed the court to hear the outcome, and Egle Possetti, a spokesperson for the victims, told Reuters, “We need to better understand the ruling; there are a large number of defendants involved,”.
Michele Matti Altadonna, whose brother was one of the victims, said, “Today we can say there are those guilty of the murder of our relatives,” as the sentences were read.
Legal teams for some defendants said they would appeal, and Castellucci’s lawyers said he would appeal, calling the verdict “a defeat for the truth”.
Raffaele Caruso, a lawyer for the victims, said the Morandi bridge had not collapsed “by chance”, adding that “This collapse, as we have always said and as the prosecutor's office, above all, has always said, could have been avoided.”
Accountability and fallout
The verdict came after four years of trial hearings for 57 defendants, including company executives, engineers and transport ministry officials, on charges of manslaughter, endangering transport safety and falsifying official documents.
Under Italian law, judges will have to publish the reasoning for their decision within six months, and the court will issue its full reasoning within six months, according to the reporting.
The case also triggered a political battle over control of Italy’s motorway network, ending with the Benetton family relinquishing its controlling stake in Autostrade per l’Italia.
Arrigo Giana, the current Autostrade CEO, issued an apology in an open letter, writing, “The actions and decisions of some people left indelible scars,” while the defence maintained the collapse was tied to a hidden construction defect rather than maintenance failures.
