Former highway CEO sentenced to 12 years for Genoa bridge collapse

A Genoa court has sentenced Giovanni Castellucci, former CEO of Autostrade per l'Italia, to 12 years in prison for the 2018 Morandi bridge collapse that killed 43 people. The verdict, delivered after a four-year trial, convicted 32 of 57 defendants, with sentences ranging from 1 year and 11 months to 12 years Source: BBC. Castellucci, already serving a six-year term for a separate road accident, was found guilty of vehicular homicide and negligence. Other key convictions include Michele Donferri Mitelli, former head of maintenance, sentenced to 11 years, and Antonino Galata, former CEO of SPEA engineering, to 5 years and 6 months Source: Al Jazeera.

The core dispute

Prosecutors argued that the collapse resulted from years of neglected maintenance and ignored warnings, calling the bridge "a ticking time bomb" Source: DW News. Defense lawyers maintained that a hidden structural flaw in the stay cables caused the failure, asserting that no maintenance could have prevented it Source: The Guardian. The court did not accept the defense's argument in full, but some defendants were acquitted or charges were barred by statute of limitations.

Reaction

Victims' families welcomed the verdict. Egle Possetti, who lost her sister and her family, said: "I think it is important that responsibility extends beyond those at the top" Source: Euronews. However, Castellucci's lawyer called the ruling "wrong" and announced an appeal, stating: "They have sought a culprit rather than establishing responsibility" Source: Euronews. Autostrade's current CEO issued a public apology, acknowledging "indelible scars" .