In brief
Giovanni Castellucci, the former number‑two of Italy’s motorway operator, was handed a 12‑year prison sentence for his role in the 2018 collapse of Genoa’s Morandi bridge. The disaster killed 43 people when the viaduct fell during a heavy rainstorm at peak holiday traffic. Castellucci joins 56 other defendants who faced 400 years in jail on the basis of failed maintenance, while the judge gave ten of them lesser sentences. Families of victims expressed a mix of satisfaction and disappointment at the outcome.
The former chief executive of Italy’s motorway operator, Giovanni Castellucci, was handed a 12‑year prison term by the Genoa court for his part in the 2018 Morandi bridge collapse that claimed the lives of 43 people.
The viaduct, which had been in service since 1967, collapsed in a violent rainstorm during the peak holiday season, sending cars and lorries to the ground. In the trial, prosecutors had sought a total of 400 years in jail for 57 defendants, arguing that maintenance had repeatedly been delayed and warning signs ignored. The judge, Paolo Lepri, chose a lesser sentence: 12 years for Castellucci, 11 years for chief engineer Michele Donferri Mitelli, and five and a half years for former vice‑president Paolo Berti.
Defenders of the defendants argued that a design flaw and the fact that a specific cable was encased in concrete contributed to the disaster. Despite the protestations, the verdict was read aloud in court, and the former executive could not attend the session to hear it. Families of victims displayed a range of reactions; Emmanuel Diaz praised the verdict, while Egle Possetti described it as "acceptable".
The case illustrates the growing scrutiny of infrastructure safety and the accountability of large companies when public structures fail. The 12‑year sentence signals a significant, though not exhaustive, punishment for the individuals who faced responsibilities over the aging bridge’s maintenance decisions.
