Former Italian Toll Road CEO Sentenced to 12 Years for Morandi Bridge Collapse
An Italian court has sentenced the former CEO of toll road operator Autostrade per l’Italia, Giovanni Castellucci, to 12 years in prison after he was found guilty of multiple manslaughter charges related to the 2018 Morandi Bridge collapse in Genoa, which claimed 43 lives. The verdict was delivered at the Genoa courthouse on Thursday, where 32 defendants were convicted, while others were acquitted or had charges dropped due to the statute of limitations.
The courtroom was packed with around 400 family members of the victims, lawyers, journalists, and members of the public. A heavy silence fell as the judge read out the sentences. Egle Possetti, a spokesperson for the victims’ families who lost four relatives in the disaster, said, ‘We need to better understand the ruling; there are many defendants involved.’
Prosecutors argued that the tragedy was caused by years of maintenance neglect, ignored warning signs, and delayed repair work, all in the interest of preserving company profits. The 51-year-old bridge’s collapse occurred during a summer storm, sending a 50-metre section of the span crashing onto a warehouse and the riverbed below.
The defence contended that the primary cause was a fatal flaw in the bridge’s original design, specifically the failure of a key stay cable, and that the collapse could not have been prevented by a maintenance programme alone. Castellucci’s legal team confirmed they would appeal the sentence, stating that he had relied on assessments from Italy’s leading engineers during his tenure. ‘The suffering caused by the Genoa tragedy is immense and deserves respect. But the gravity of the event demands that justice be based on individual responsibility, not the search for scapegoats,’ his lawyers said in a statement.
The Morandi Bridge disaster triggered a major overhaul of Italy’s motorway network management. The crisis ultimately led to the Benetton family losing its controlling stake in Autostrade per l’Italia following intense political pressure. The remains of the Morandi Bridge were demolished and replaced by the Genoa San Giorgio Bridge, designed by Genoa-born architect Renzo Piano and inaugurated in August 2020 with a design inspired by the city’s maritime heritage.