Italian officials handed jail terms for Genoa bridge disaster that killed 43

The former head of Italy’s motorway operator has been sentenced to 12 years in prison for the collapse of the Morandi bridge in Genoa in August 2018.

Prosecutors had requested a much longer prison sentence for Giovanni Castellucci, former chief executive of Autostrade per l’Italia (Aspi).

43 people lost their lives when the highway bridge passing through the city collapsed due to a rainstorm during the peak holiday season, causing cars and trucks to fall to the ground.

Castellucci, who is currently serving a six-year prison sentence for a traffic accident that occurred in 2013, was one of 57 defendants tried in Genoa. Another senior highway official, Michele Donferri Mitelli, was sentenced to 11 years in prison.

Emmanuel Diaz, whose brother Henry died in the bridge collapse, told Italian television that he was “very happy” with the decision, while Egle Possetti, whose sister and family were killed, said she thought the 12-year sentence given to Castellucci was “acceptable”.

Castelucci was not in court to hear the verdicts read by Judge Paolo Lepri. Paolo Berti, the motorway operator’s former number two, was sentenced to five and a half years in prison, seven years less than prosecutors wanted.

Prosecutors had requested that 57 defendants be sentenced to a total of 400 years in prison on the grounds that they did not maintain the viaduct built by Riccardo Morandi in 1967.

All of the defendants denied any wrongdoing and

Prosecutors argued that maintenance on the aging structure was repeatedly delayed and warning signs ignored, while defense lawyers blamed the disaster on a design flaw and the fact that a particular cable had been encased in concrete.