Giovanni Castellucci, the former chief executive of Autostrade per l'Italia (ASPI), was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Thursday for negligence contributing to the 2018 collapse of the Morandi bridge in Genoa. The disaster, which occurred during a rainstorm, resulted in the deaths of 43 people as cars and lorries plunged to the ground. Prosecutors had initially sought a longer sentence of 18 years and six months for Castellucci, who was among 57 defendants on trial. He was already serving a six-year sentence for a separate 2013 road disaster.
The court heard that 32 individuals were convicted in total, with sentences ranging up to 11 years for other defendants, including Michele Donferri Mitelli, another top motorway official, who received 11 years. Several officials from the maintenance firm Spea and the transport ministry were also handed prison terms. Conversely, 25 people were either acquitted or had their cases dismissed due to the statute of limitations. Emmanuel Diaz, whose brother died in the collapse, expressed satisfaction with the verdict, while Egle Possetti, who lost her sister and family, found Castellucci's sentence "acceptable."
Prosecutors argued that years of inadequate maintenance, ignored warning signs, and delayed safety work led to the bridge's failure, asserting that essential repairs were postponed to maximize profits. Defense lawyers, however, countered that the collapse was due to an inherent design flaw in the bridge's stay cable number nine, which they claimed no maintenance program could have prevented. This first-instance ruling can be appealed at least twice under the Italian legal system.
The disaster prompted a significant dispute between Atlantia, ASPI's then-parent company controlled by the Benetton family, and the Italian government, ultimately leading to the sale of Atlantia’s controlling stake in Autostrade. On the eve of the verdict, ASPI's current CEO, Arrigo Giana, issued the company's first public apology for the collapse. The remains of the Morandi bridge were demolished in early 2019, and a new structure, the San Giorgio bridge, designed by Renzo Piano, was inaugurated in 2020.
