A court in Genoa convicted 32 defendants on Thursday in the trial over the 2018 collapse of the Morandi highway bridge, which killed 43 people, sentencing former Autostrade per l’Italia chief executive Giovanni Castellucci to 12 years in prison for vehicular homicide and negligence in one of Italy’s most notorious infrastructure disasters.
The verdict came after four hours of deliberations concluding four years of proceedings and 284 hearings. Of the 57 defendants tried, 25 were either acquitted or saw their charges expire under Italy’s statute of limitations. Sentences ranged from one year and eleven months to Castellucci’s 12-year term. Former Spea engineering chief Antonino Galata and several infrastructure ministry officials were among those convicted.
Prosecutor Walter Cotugno called the bridge a ticking time bomb, saying warning signs about the deteriorating pillar that collapsed had existed for decades. Victims’ lawyer Raffaele Caruso said the bridge did not collapse by chance but because of serious and foreseeable failures in maintenance.
The verdict brings partial justice but no closure. Under Italy’s three-tier judicial system all convicted parties remain free pending mandatory appeals, a process that could take years. Autostrade and Spea had already exited criminal proceedings in 2022 after paying financial settlements, meaning no corporate entity faces further criminal liability. Victims’ families said the ruling was a cold comfort after eight years of waiting.
A new bridge designed by Genoa-born architect Renzo Piano opened in 2020, built as a memorial to the 43 who died.
