ITALIAN MOTORWAY CHIEF SENTENCED TO 12 YEARS OVER GENOA BRIDGE COLLAPSE

An Italian court sentenced Giovanni Castellucci, former chief executive of motorway operator Autostrade per l'Italia, to 12 years' imprisonment on Thursday for his role in the collapse of the Morandi bridge in Genoa in August 2018. The bridge came down during a rainstorm, killing 43 people. Castellucci was convicted of vehicle homicide and negligence. He was one of 57 defendants tried in connection with the disaster, the worst infrastructure failure in Italy in recent years.

Prosecutors had sought a longer sentence for Castellucci, who is already serving a six-year prison term for a separate 2013 road accident. Michele Donferri Mitelli, another senior motorway official, received an 11-year sentence, whilst Paolo Berti, former deputy head of the operator, was given five-and-a-half years — seven years less than prosecutors requested. In total, prosecutors had asked for the 57 defendants to receive 400 years in jail collectively for failure to maintain the viaduct, which was constructed by Riccardo Morandi in 1967. All defendants had denied wrongdoing. Prosecutors argued that maintenance of the ageing structure had been repeatedly delayed and warning signs ignored, whilst defence counsel attributed the disaster to a design flaw and to a specific cable encased in concrete.

Emmanuel Diaz, whose brother Henry died in the collapse, told Italian television he was "very satisfied" with the verdict. Egle Possetti, whose sister and her family were all killed, said she found the 12-year sentence "acceptable". Judge Paolo Lepri delivered the verdicts; Castellucci was not present in court to hear them.