{"id":1755,"date":"2026-07-16T16:40:11","date_gmt":"2026-07-16T16:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1755"},"modified":"2026-07-16T16:40:11","modified_gmt":"2026-07-16T16:40:11","slug":"ex-ceo-of-italian-highway-operator-and-31-others-convicted-in-deadly-2018-bridge-collapse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/topmovingpross.com\/?p=1755","title":{"rendered":"Ex-CEO of Italian highway operator and 31 others convicted in deadly 2018 bridge collapse"},"content":{"rendered":"
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GENOA, Italy (AP) \u2014 An Italian court on Thursday convicted the former CEO of Italy\u2019s main highway operator and 31 others in the 2018 Genoa highway bridge<\/span> collapse that sent vehicles plunging and killed 43 people, a disaster that exposed serious lapses in the maintenance of Italian infrastructure. <\/p>\n

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Dozens of family members of the victims packed the courtroom as Chief Judge Paolo Lepri read the verdicts against 57 defendants, including former executives and officials. Many relatives broke down in tears as the sentences were read. <\/p>\n

The former chief executive of highway operator Autostrade per l\u2019Italia, Giovanni Castellucci, was sentenced to 12 years in prison, the highest in the case after four years of trial and four hours of deliberations. <\/p>\n

Castellucci\u2019s lawyers said they would appeal, noting in a statement that as CEO, their client had relied on Italy\u2019s leading engineers, and that a construction defect had not been detected by experts for over half a century.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe suffering caused by the Genoa tragedy is immense and deserves respect. But the gravity of the event requires justice to remain based on individual responsibility, not the search for a scapegoat,\u201d they said in a statement. <\/p>\n

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Also convicted were Autostrade\u2019s former head of maintenance, Michele Donferri Mitelli, who was sentenced to 11 years in prison. The former CEO of the SPEA engineering company, Antonino Galat\u00e0, received five years and six months.<\/p>\n

Defendants faced charges including negligence resulting in the collapse and manslaughter stemming from failures to maintain the bridge, which was part of a main route linking northern Italy with the French Riviera. <\/p>\n

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In all, 32 people were convicted and handed sentences ranging from 1 year and 11 months to 12 years. Others were either found not guilty, or lesser charges had expired under the statute of limitations. <\/p>\n

\u201cI think it is important that responsibility extends beyond those at the top. Autostrade, SPEA and the Transport Ministry all had roles to play. I hope the state\u2019s responsibility also emerges clearly,\u201d Egle Possetti, who heads a committee to preserve the memory of the bridge victims, told reporters outside the courthouse.<\/p>\n

\u201cI lost my sister, her two children, my brother-in-law and even their little dog. That\u2019s where my determination comes from \u2014 to make sure they receive justice and that their deaths were not in vain,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n

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Warning signs of defect were ignored <\/h2>\n

Shortly before noon on Aug. 14, 2018, a 200-meter (650-foot) section<\/span> of Genoa\u2019s Morandi highway bridge gave way during a rainstorm, sending dozens of vehicles plunging to the ground.<\/p>\n

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Images of the collapsed bridge were seen around the world and shocked Italians on one of Italy\u2019s busiest travel days, as millions headed out for the traditional Aug. 15 Ferragosto holiday that marks the peak summer vacation season.<\/p>\n

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