Overview
- The court in Genua on Thursday convicted 32 of 57 defendants in the four‑year trial and sentenced former Autostrade per l'Italia chief Giovanni Castellucci to 12 years for negligent conduct tied to the August 14, 2018 collapse that killed 43 people.
- Judges handed multi‑year terms to other former managers, including an 11‑year sentence for the ex‑head of maintenance and a five‑and‑a‑half‑year term for the company’s former number two.
- Prosecutors had sought more than 400 years in total and up to 18 years for Castellucci, so the court’s rulings fall well short of those demands and are not final.
- Defendants and their lawyers argue a hidden construction defect in the bridge’s internal stay cables caused the failure, and many convicted individuals have already said they will appeal.
- The trial follows a 29 million euro out‑of‑court settlement with Aspi and its maintenance arm, the state takeover of the concession after public pressure, and leaves victims and the city awaiting higher‑court decisions and further accountability measures.